


Modern Connections

by KashedPrince



Category: One Piece
Genre: College AU, Drug Use, F/F, F/M, I hope, M/M, Modern AU, Murder, Pregnancy Scare, Slow Burn, Suspense, been a while since i wrote a fic, it gets wild, it wont always be sunshine and rainbows, itll be better than the old version, lots of issues, not as much comedy as the old fic but plenty of slow burn romance if you look hard enough, there will be some plot twists, will add more ships if i can think of any
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-06-29 09:44:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 47,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19827550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KashedPrince/pseuds/KashedPrince
Summary: Edit!: This really can't be called a remake at this point due to it not even following the original story's plot line, so this will just be a brand new story. I still won't complete the other one, so I'll keep it up for a bit longer so anyone who reads it will come here before I eventually delete it.I didn't like how the old story was going, so after two, nearly three years later, I've finally decided(remembered) to stop attempting other fanfictions and finally just focus on one story and complete it. For those of you who have read "Modern Family", I'll post a message there for them to come to this version so there's no confusion.Thank you for enjoying that one and i hope you enjoy this new story as well. ;)- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Mini summary:This new story will follow the members of the Straw Hats, Supernovas and many more as they struggle to survive against various crews and gangs and how it will ultimately affect their futures.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Modern 'Family'](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11659263) by [KashedPrince](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KashedPrince/pseuds/KashedPrince). 



_X Drake sat down heavily against_ the old couch that lay pressed against the far side of their dorm house wall. He had just finished rearranging furniture and was quite exhausted after being the only one around to lift the heavy objects through the narrow doorway. He still thinks they might need to remodel the front entrance to be a little bit wider. Just a little bit.

He had only just moved into the college house a week ago. He had graduated from his high school several months ago, yet thought himself fit and ready to take on college. Thankfully, an acquaintance from school was kind enough to share the dorm room with him. That acquaintance being Basil Hawkins, one of the smartest students in his grade. He was a quiet kid, never really speaking and always studying or messing around with that deck of cards that is always with him. Drake could have sworn he saw a voodoo doll copy of one of the students that had taken to bullying Hawkins. Later that year, the poor idiot was in a tragic accident that left him absolutely terrified of Hawkins ever since. Drake made a mental note to never cross the guy. EVER.

Unfortunately, Drake and Hawkins weren’t the only occupants of the dorm house. A handful of other students had made themselves at home in the dorm rooms across the hall. Jewelry Bonney could be heard in her room speaking loudly over the phone; her voice sounded muffled so she was probably eating. Drake wondered how someone could eat so much and stay so slim. No amount of exercise could burn off the calories she intakes everyday. Trafalgar Law made his home in a dorm room upstairs, across from Hawkins. The guy had been out since dawn this morning. Apparently, he works as a medical assistant for a nearby hospital. He’s got all the qualifications to make himself a doctor, but he still needs to graduate college first, just like the rest of them. Eustass Kidd shared a room with his childhood friend, Killer, downstairs. Drake knew the guy had to have a real name besides “Killer”, but he wouldn’t tell anyone and Kidd would most likely growl at him if he tried to ask. Besides the name thing, Killer was a lot calmer than Kidd. Smarter, too. Kidd usually went straight into fighting if you even breathed wrong around him. And last but not least, Scratchmen Apoo. Drake figured he went off to work or something too, since he wasn’t anywhere in the dorms. The guy could make a beat out of anything. Drake could cough and next thing anyone knew, Apoo was spitting fire rhymes. He always got into fights with Kidd, Killer usually being the one to pull them apart.

Thankfully, the living room was void of any noise besides the crunching the fridge made as it’s ice machine operated. No rapping, no fighting, nothing. Just pure, serene silence.

A soft thumping on the stairs broke Drake’s reverie and he glanced up towards the sound. Hawkins was staring at the deck of cards in his hand, occasionally shuffling it and glancing upon it again. His brows were furrowed as he made his way downstairs. He wasn’t wearing any shoes, so his pale feet were seen from under his baggy sweatpants. He sighed and shuffled the deck again. Glanced at it, then sighed again. Drake supposed Hawkins hadn’t noticed him yet, so he coughed into a fist as he sat up on the couch. Hawkins spared him a millisecond of a look before heading into the kitchen.

“Well, Hello to you too,” Drake mumbled as he got up and headed into the kitchen behind Hawkins. He might as well check the contents of the fridge to see if he needed to do some grocery shopping. His parents were kind enough to give him enough money to last him a semester, so he could live comfortably until he needed to get a job. Well, he already had one. Part time detective for the City Cops Association, a branch of the main force run under Sengoku. The main unit, Marineford, had been recently moved to Drake’s side of the city. Ultimately closer to the Government headquarters of Mariejois. Everybody hates the Government. Even some certain cops.. Drake popped open the fridge door and noticed it wasn’t as empty as he thought. He knew Bonney kept a mini fridge in her room, but he wouldn’t put it past her to not steal the food from the main fridge. He grabbed a can of Ginger Ale and closed the fridge with his heel. He leaned against the counter, watching as Hawkins sat at the table, shuffling his deck, looking at it, sighing, rinse and repeat. Drake took another swig of the soda and glanced out of the window. The weather had been hot today, but with a clear night ahead in the forecast, it was gradually going to get cooler. Hopefully. He turned back to Hawkins and nearly dropped his drink when he noticed Hawkins staring back at him.

Drake fumbled for something to say, but Hawkins beat it to him. “Don’t go outside.”

Drake looked away from him, and then back at him. “Why not….” He trailed off as he realized it probably had something to do with those cards.

Hawkins turned back to his cards without answering. Just then, footsteps stomped their way into the living room, pausing, then moving closer to the kitchen. Kidd’s head popped around the side of the doorway. He then disappeared, stomping down the hall. A moment of silence, Drake taking another sip from his drink, before Kidd stomped back to the kitchen. “Have you seen Killer?”

Drake shook his head. “Nope. Thought he was with you.” He raised his brows as Kidd’s face twisted in a mixture of confusion and irritation.

“Asshole’s not answering my calls or texts or voicemails or-”

“Maybe he wants to be left alone. I know I would if I had to constantly be around you.” Hawkins said in a single breath. Drake looked over at him in shock, the blonde not bothering to look up from his card reading.

Drake looked back over to Kidd. The guy’s face was slightly red, his jaw clenching. His hands curled into fists and Drake could only assume the worst was about to happen and got ready to break up the fight if need be, when the front door opened. Kidd immediately swirled around and stormed from the kitchen. Voices could be heard, Kidd’s voice was slightly raised, while a softer but deep voice was heard responding.

I _guess that’s Killer_ , Drake thought. He finished off the drink, said goodbye to Hawkins, who mumbled something in return and went upstairs to get ready for work. Yeah, he remembered Hawkins’ warning to not go outside, but he wasn’t about to get fired 3 weeks into his job for not showing up just because of his superstitious housemate. He adjusted the tie to his uniform, noticing how tight the suit had gotten. Maybe he was working out a little too much. He just got this uniform and now he probably had to put in a request to get it tailored or get a new one entirely. He slipped his taser into his belt, making a mental note not to let anyone know he had one or else someone like Apoo would try and take it and then shoot Kidd with it and then Drake would have to arrest him and he didn’t want to do that- He checked his watch, grabbed his coat, and headed out of the room he shared with Hawkins, leaving the door cracked a bit. The flooring was carpeted except for the kitchen and doorway, where everyone leaves there shoes. Drake slipped into his work shoes, noticing how Kidd and Killer were nowhere to be seen. Hawkins was probably still in the kitchen, if the quiet, subtle sighing was anything to go by. Drake then left the house, shutting it behind him. He didn’t lock it, because no one locked it unless everyone was in the house. He fished his keys out of coat pocket and unlocked the doors to his red 2017 mustang. His father had gifted him that as a graduation present. He got in, turning it on as he closed the door. He secured his seat belt and checked the gas meter before backing out of the frat house parking lot. It was only 3:30pm as he made his way down to the station. He didn’t have to be there till 4 and it wasn’t far away, but he was always a punctual guy. At least to his job. His classes? Not so much.

He rounded the corner and onto the street his station was on. Once there, he pulled into an empty parking space and got out. He locked his car and entered the building, saying a quick hello to the lady behind the front desk. The building was rather big for a small city. There were two floors; his office on the first floor. His boss and the higher ranking cops on the second floor. He entered his office, leaving the door opened a crack as he made his way to his desk. He hung his coat on the rack by the door and smiled to himself as he sat down. His name was carved on a plaque at the head of his desk for anyone to see as they walked in. A couple bookshelves sat facing each other on opposite walls, filled with law books and other such materials he used to study with when he wasn’t in class or at home. He turned on his computer monitor and clocked in. Time to get to work. And by work, he means a load of paperwork. He’s been tasked with putting case files together and putting them in folders to store in the evidence room. He’s been doing this since he was first hired and he was fine with it. Can’t let a rookie on a mission on his first day at work. That’s just inviting problems to happen. But he did kind of hope something different would happen. He’s been training in the gym and he’s positive other cops have noticed his strength, especially his boss since that’s who invites him to the gym every other day.

His boss, Monkey D. Garp, was a funny guy. Light hearted, and treated everyone like they were his grandchildren. He did have real grandchildren and that’s why he was stationed here. To make sure they didn’t get into too much trouble. Drake knew Garp was on a level with Sengoku, but the man would rather stick close to family than rank. What a nice gu-

“Drake!” Speak of the devil.

Drake glanced up from flipping papers to see Garp’s big smile plastered on his face. “Good afternoon, Mr. Garp. What can I do for you?”

Garp sat down in the chair in front of the desk and looked around the room. “How are you liking your office? Not too small? I can make arrangements if you want a little more space.”

Drake smiled warmly. “No thanks, It’s fine as it is.”

Garp nodded slowly, glancing down at the paperwork stacked neatly across the desk’s surface. “Well, if you’re not too busy, I’ve got a mission for you,” He added after Drake looked up sharply. “Nothing too serious, but a simple drug bust. Word from a separate station has it that a group of men have been cooking up meth in the basement of some rundown old house. They want someone from this station to check it out since we’re closer.”

Drake nodded his head. “I’m more than willing to go.” He set down a stack of files. “I can get this done real quick and be out there with you.”

Garp chuckled. “Don’t worry about those papers, son. I can have someone else sort those for you. Come on.” He slapped his thighs and stood up, cocking his head at the door before exiting the office.

Drake opened his mouth as if to say something, but gave the files one last look before quickly getting up, snatching his coat from the hanger and making his way outside where Garp stood beside a police vehicle. As Drake got in the passenger seat, Garp began to discuss who the meth cookers were.

“Looks like we’ll be dealing with some of Kaido’s gang.” Garp backed out of the lot and made his way down the road. “This isn’t the first time we’ve got a drug bust call about them.” _Kaido’s gang? This is turning out to be a little more than I expected_ , Drake thought as he listened to Garp. “Meth ain’t the only thing they’re creating down there, either,” Garp continued. “Looks like they’re trying to start a whole underground business. Not only for drugs, but for weapons, organs, even trafficking.” Drake felt a vein in his forehead twitch at that last word.

Trafficking.

That was a horror on it’s own. Women, children, even men being sold to terrible people to do terrible things for said terrible people. Drake’s hands itched to handcuff criminals and save people as was his job, being a cop and all. They continued down some streets until Garp began to slow down as he turned into a rugged looking neighborhood. Houses had boarded up doors and windows. Barely any cars parked, except for a few littering the sides of the road. They came upon a house with a single light on. An old, dirty, beat up sedan was parked horribly in the driveway. Garp parked along the side of the walkway, and turned the vehicle off. Drake shared a look with Garp, who nodded and they both exited the car. Drake waited for Garp to come around the front of the car before heading to the door. Garp went ahead of Drake and knocked on the door, putting his hands on his hips as they waited for someone to open the door. A couple heartbeats passed before a shadow passed by the window as it headed to the door. The door opened slowly and a pale, thin man appeared halfway out of the doorway. He looked like your typical hillbilly: overalls without a shirt underneath, long disgruntled hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed, let alone combed, in months, sunken eyes as if he hadn’t had longer than two hours of sleep each night.

“Hiya. What brings you officers here today?” He smiled and Drake noticed the absence of a few teeth.

Garp chanced a look back at Drake. “Well, we’re here about a call from someone saying you guys are doing illegal things in your basement? We just want to check things out and maybe stop those rumors. Okay?”

When Garp was speaking, Drake caught movement in the corner of his eye, but when he looked, nothing was there. He looked back towards the man in the doorway and noticed his smile faltering as Garp mentioned “illegal things” in the basement, but the man gestured for them to come in. As soon as Drake stepped into the house, the smell made his nose burn. It was like the house had been deep cleaned; the strong smell of bleach radiating from the floor like smoke. He didn’t like that one bit. It made him suspicious, like the man was trying to hide something. He locked eyes with Garp, and the older officer’s head gave the tiniest of nods.

“Whew, seems like you did a bit of cleaning,” Garp remarked.

The pale man nodded with a light chuckle. “Yeah, felt like doing a little spring cleaning.”

_Spring_? It’s mid summer.

The rooms seemed barren, as if no one really lived here. _Yeah, cause they’re living downstairs where they’re making drugs!_ The living room only had one, dusty couch and the TV looked as if it had come from the early 1900s. The kitchen only had a tiny dining table and one chair. Drake could guess the fridge was empty, too. As they moved further into the house, Drake could have sworn he saw movement out of the corner of his eye again. But each time he looked, nothing was there. Maybe the place was haunted and that’s what was worrying the neighbors.

“And as you can see, I do not have a basement.” The pale man, turned back to them as they reached the end of the house. He scratched his head and Drake nearly grimaced at the flakes that fell.

Garp looked around himself and then nodded, exhaling loudly through his nose. “It seems you don’t. House is kinda empty though. I hope I’m not speaking to a ghost.” He burst into a hearty laugh, the pale man laughing along. While they laughed, Drake felt like he was being watched again, but when he turned around, all he saw was the far wall along the right side of the room they were in. He stared at it until Garp patted his shoulder, jolting him. “Well, everything seems to be alright. We’ll be on our way now.”

The pale man offered to lead them out to their vehicle. As they waved goodbye and drove down the road, Drake looked in the rear view mirror at the house. He stared at it until the car made the turn back onto the main road and headed to the station. He leaned back in his seat, then looked at Garp. “I don’t know about you, but it felt like someone was watching me while I was in that house.”

Garp didn’t take his eyes off the road. _Cause that would be dangerous_. “Yeah, I had the same feeling, too. Something ain’t right about that house. We’ll have to check it out sometime later.” Drake murmured agreement and the two went into silence for the remainder of the ride back to the station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, this story won't have as much comedy as the old version, but I'll do what I can. :>


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been going through the chapters from the old version and completely rewriting them. I'm probably gonna put parts of the old chapter 2 into this chapter... maybe.

_The sound of a pan slamming down_ reverberated through the house. 

"I am sick and tired of your ruffian attitude! You take every word out of my mouth like a damn challenge! Maybe you should see a doctor. It doesn't seem like you've got any proper functioning braincells in that grass covered head of yours!"

"Oh, so **I'M** the problem? I sneeze incorrectly and suddenly you're on my case. It's either 'you're too rough!', 'stop doing that', 'can't you sit properly?'. The hell do you think you are? My mother?"

"I'm so glad I'm not your mother, or else I'd have disowned you, or better yet, aborted you before you could grace the world with your presence!"

"Hah, disowned me.. Just like your dad did to you?"

Silence. 

Sabo sat outside the kitchen at the mini bar area. He had been there since Sanji had called him downstairs to test a new smoothie he had been perfecting. He didn't expect for Zoro to already be in there and for the two to bicker. It was awkward. Seriously, awkward. Usually, when the two started going at each other, one of the older housemates, typically Franky since he was bigger, would diffuse the situation in seconds. But, seeing as no one was in the house except for him, Brook, and maybe Robin, he hadn't seen her enter or leave her room since two nights ago, he felt obligated to try and help. He slowly slid from the seat, going through different scenarios in his head to test out which would work in his favor and not have him gutted by a sword or kicked from the kitchen without so much as a whiff of the smoothie. He got to the doorway and leaned against the left frame, trying to look as chill as possible.

"You guys alright?" When he had looked in, both of them were minding their business; Sanji chopping up fruits and Zoro leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. But when he spoke, they both turned to look at him. "I mean, I didn't mean to overhear the conversation, but.."

Zoro made a sound between a cough and a laugh before uncrossing his arms and leaving the kitchen, Sabo turning sideways to let the man through. Sabo turned back to Sanji, who was now scooping chunks of fruits and veggies and pouring them into the blender. He added a cup of cream and water before starting the machine. It whirled to life, liquefying the contents within until it was a smooth texture. The cook then took the measuring cup part of the blender off and poured the smoothie into a tall glass. He opened a drawer, grabbed a spoon and a straw and stuck them into the drink. Sabo gradually walked closer to Sanji as the latter placed a decoration of nuts across the smoothie's surface, even adding a quick glaze of honey nut syrup. It looked like something from a decorative treats book. Something you'd only see at super fancy cafes. Sanji smiled and handed it to Sabo, who took it with a quick 'thank you' before taking a long sip.

"Damn! That's good!" Sabo praised. "Good to know I can just come to you when I want to try new treats. To hell with going to those expensive shops."

Sanji laughed. "Thanks. Glad to be of service."

Sabo smiled, but felt odd. Ever since Luffy and finally introduced him to the Straw Hat gang, they've been treating him like he's some sort of royalty. Luffy was a pretty cool dude, but finding out he's got older brothers just as cool? Eh, makes sense, he guessed. He leaned against the counter, smoothie in one hand, Samsung galaxy phone in the other. His eyesight was fine, he's got pretty big eyes, but a bigger screen made it that much easier to view videos sent to him by friends, family, etc. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Sabo was a part of the Revolutionary forces; an organization bent on tearing down the corrupt Government that was slowly destroying the lives of the people who need them the most. It made his blood boil just thinking about it. 

"Is everything alright? It's not too sweet is it?" Sanji's voice snapped Sabo out of his mind ranting. He must have been making a face because Sanji was staring at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, no, no," Sabo quickly said, pocketing his phone and setting the drink down. "It's really good actually. I was just.. thinking. Nothing too deep," He added as Sanji nodded his head slowly. Sabo cleared his throat. "So, uh," He gestured with a hand. "You and Zoro, I don't mean to just barge into what's going on between you two, uh, I mean, I was kinda just sitting there and listening.."

Sanji sighed with a one shouldered shrug. "You haven't been around us for long, but we always get into it. Pay it no mind." He trailed off as his focus fell onto the dishes he was washing. 

Sabo nodded. _Fair enough,_ He thought, as he pulled his phone out again upon receiving a message. A message he wished he hadn't gotten. 

* * *

_30 minutes before Sabo's received text message_

Ace lit another piece of wood on fire and flung it into the pile in front of him. He had just gotten out of class and figured he'd have a little fun with fire. He loved fire. The way it burned everything to ash, the smokey smell that wafted from the red embers. Of course, he knew it was dangerous to mess with, but he's trained himself long enough to be able to keep a bonfire controlled without needing a barricade around it. Which is what he was doing now. He held the lighter in one hand as he picked up a stick with the other. He held the stick up and away from himself as he flicked the lighter to life, its tiny flame about to ignite the stick when a crunch behind him jolted him. He dropped both the lighter and the stick, the lighter still alive with flames. Ace snatched it up, whipping his hand back and forth to kill the flame as he turned to face who would dare interrupt his playtime. Hell, who even found him? He was in the middle of some woods he just wandered into. It's not like the fire was big enough for the smoke... to.. _sigh_

"What the hell did I tell you about burning shit, boy?!" 

Ace could have ran. He could have, but he knew this particular cop wasn't going to just let him off scott free. He forced himself to not roll his eyes as he greeting the man. "Well, if it ain't Smokey the god damn Bear!"

"It's like speaking to a damn fire ant," Smoker growled as he stepped closer to the miniature bonfire. He mumbled a few more things as he kicked dirt over the pile in the hopes of killing the flames. "I just don't understand what makes you want to run outside and put shit on fire. You possessed? Need an exorcism?"

"It's not like I was going to let it burn all night or cause a forest fire," Ace rebuked. "I was just relaxing after school."

Smoker shook his head with a sigh. "If this is your way of relaxing, see a therapist." 

Ace was starting to get annoyed. "Can't you just go bother someone else? Or," He gasped and covered his mouth with a hand dramatically. "You like me, don't you, you sly dog!"

The look on Smoker's face could have sent Satan back to his hell hole. The man opened his mouth before closing it and moving closer to Ace. Ace prepared to fight, but all Smoker did was snatch the lighter from his hand and pocket it. "Get the hell outta these woods. Now." He then started to trudge back out of the woods when a block of wood knocked him in the back. He turned around, Ace smiled and waved before taking off. Smoker looked around as if looking for something to throw back but yanked his cigar out of his mouth and ran after the flame obsessed idiot. 

* * *

"I know this probably looks bad, but trust me, I did nothing wrong."

"You assaulted an officer!" Sabo was currently bailing Ace out, filling out the paperwork as he sat beside the holding cell the latter currently occupied. "What were you thinking? Actually, do you ever think?"

"I was just minding my business and he had to get all in my koolaid," Ace sat against the wall, arms crossed. "I wasn't even doing anything bad. Just lighting a few sticks on fire-"

"A few sticks? I could see the smoke from down the street." Smoker was sitting at one of the desks facing the holding cell. Cigar in his mouth, arms crossed. "You have no idea the kind of phone calls I get every other day because people think a forest fire is going on. Can't you just play video games like the rest of you degenerates?"

Ace scoffed. "Oh, seriously? One minute you want us to be outside more, then when we do go outside and have a bit of fun, suddenly you want us to go back in and become hermits."

Smoker lifted a hand and rubbed his forehead. Sabo breathed out a short, quiet snort as he finished up the last page of the form. "How is there only **one** responsible brother out of the three of you?" He muttered as he organized some papers on the desk. Sabo handed him the clipboard and Smoker got up to open the cell. "Now, if I catch you doing that shit again, I'm locking you up in a **real** cell. We'll see how tough you are after spending time with some nasty criminals." He opened the door and pointed with his thumb towards the station's entrance. "Now, get out. You're lucky your Granddad wasn't around to see you."

_Thank GOD for that,_ Sabo agreed. It would have been one hell of an afternoon if Garp wasn't out on patrol. _We're still not out of the woods yet._ They still needed to leave the station. Ace glared at Smoker, but Sabo grabbed him by the wrist and exited the building. The faster they got out of here, the safer they were. Besides, like it was mentioned before, Sabo was a part of the Revolutionary forces. None of the Straw Hats knew, not even Luffy or Ace. It's not that he didn't want to tell them, he wanted them to be safe just in case something were to happen. If word got around that Sabo was affiliated with Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy's dad, then it would only put Luffy and Ace at risk. It was bad enough Ace was a part of the Whitebeard crew, a gang of orphans that had been adopted by Edward Newgate, preferably known as Whitebeard. They do their fair share of trouble making on occasions. Basically, the ragtag version of Robin Hood. They're always up against the Blackbeard gang, a group of the most savage people led by Marshall D. Teach. Seeing the big guy on the streets was scary enough, but fighting him like they did? Sabo could only imagine the casualties coming out of that. 

There was also other gangs in surrounding cities such as the Big Mom crew. Some scary biker gang made up of some freakishly tall people. The Kaido crew, led by a guy that literally tries to kill himself every day, but manages to survive no matter what. Everyone stays away from him and his gang. It's not worth the carnage. Plus, the Kaido crew had other crews merged within so it was much bigger than it really was. But Sabo wasn't too worried about them. They weren't who he and his group were targeting. It was those damned Celestial assholes that resided in the Castle Town, an area comprised of different mansions with a literal castle in the middle. There was a special meeting coming up, a Reverie so to speak, where leaders from around the country come together in one area to discuss matters. That would be the moment Sabo would make his move and take back the hopes and dreams that these Government officials had stolen.

But, enough about all of that.

"Did you even go to class today?" Sabo said as he drove towards the Straw Hat house. Even though Ace usually stayed at the Whitebeard crew's abnormally large townhouse, it was a rule to always visit Luffy when they had time. Besides, Sabo really enjoyed Sanji's cooking and was looking forward to what dinner could be. 

"Of course! I want my degree."

"In what? Violence against cops and starting forest fires?"

Ace just looked at Sabo, who simply smiled, a laugh bubbling in his chest. "I'm just joking. But you really do have to be careful. What if it wasn't Smoker who had found you? It could have been-"

"An opposing crew, yeah I get that." Ace sighed, adjusted the seat. "Is Luffy home yet?"

Sabo checked the clock in the car. "He should be by now. It did take a while to convince Smoker to release you earlier than the supposed time."

Ace snorted. "Didn't know he could run that fast with all those muscles. Dude was built like Megatron."

They both broke into a loud laugh as Sabo turned his Nissan altima into the driveway. They continued to clown poor Smoker as Sabo parked the car and they entered the house. Luffy came barreling down the stairs, gripping the two older brothers into a tight embrace.

"Finally! What took you so long?" He asked as Chopper and Usopp followed behind him with their own greetings.

"Bailing your special brother out of jail." Sabo gave Chopper a couple head pats, while Ace and Usopp shared a unique handshake. 

"Hey, it wasn't my fault this time."

"You assaulted an officer! Smoker, no less."

"Smokie?" Luffy climbed on to Sabo's back. "Why?"

"They can tell you about it over dinner." Sanji came out of the kitchen with a towel, wiping his hands off. "I made beef bourguignon if you'd like to stay and have some." He offered to Sabo and Ace, who immediately agreed.

The large dining table soon began to fill up once all the house members sat down to eat. Sabo began a simple conversation with Robin, since she was easier to talk to as she was somewhat close with members of the Revolutionary. Ace was trying to stop luffy from stealing food from other people's plates. Zoro and Sanji seemed relatively calmer now, speaking lightly towards each other. Franky and Brook were making Chopper and Usopp laugh as they played around with the untensils. Nami was on her phone texting rather fast with someone, probably Vivi. It was the usual family dinner. Everyone conversing in one way or another while enjoying good food. 

Sabo wished this could last forever, but he knew after this mission, it'd only be a matter of time before things popped off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao, sitting here typing this and having to look up car brands and fancy dishes to make the story more figurative.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter should hold more comedic relief than the last chapters. . . I hope

_Grocery shopping was supposed_ to be something fun. Hanging out with friends or family, choosing good, low price items to restock the pantry with, maybe even having some lunch in between so you didn't end up over shopping because you were hungry. Even shopping alone had its perks and Coby wished he could have gone alone or at least with just Helmepoo at his side. He wouldn't have minded shopping with Sengoku, but Sakazuki, the Fleet Admiral himself, multitasking between driving and arguing with Sengoku about the goat in the back seat that was constantly trying to chew on Coby's white and blue hoodie. 

"Why the hell do you need to bring that damn animal everywhere?!"

"Hahaha! Just think of it as a service dog."

"For who? You?"

"I'm positive Coby would need one being around you. You could probably destroy the faces on mount Rushmore just by glaring at them!" Sengoku laughed, slapping his knee. 

Sakazuki peered through the rear view mirror back at Coby, who averted his gaze to avoid eye contact. Coby heard a snort and slowly sank deeper into his seat. Ever since he had stopped Sakazuki from straight up slaughtering members of the Whitebeard crew a couple months ago, the older man had taken to keep a close eye on him. Helmeppo had spoken to him about a rumor that Coby was a spy or turncoat. Coby had nearly broke into a maniacal laugh.

_"A spy? For who?" He had questioned._ The little delinquents down the street who are always tossing sticks and stones at their vehicles whenever they drive down that particular road? The little old lady that baked random pastries for them every Sunday? Besides Luffy and Zoro, he doesn't really know anyone outside the force that he'd bother risking his neck for let alone spy for them.

_"I don't know, but please, just be careful with whatever you do." Helmeppo had responded, his visor off so Coby could see the pleading look in his eyes._ Helmeppo had changed over the course of a couple years. He had been quite rude to Coby, but soon warmed up to him after the incident with his father. Helmeppo had been held hostage and nearly killed by his own parent, but Coby saved him and the two created a bond that couldn't easily be broken. After that day, Coby's been extra vigilant. Worked harder and made sure to gain the trust he nearly lost back. He even got promoted recently to captain rank, Helmeppo his lieutenant. Hopefully, with this promotion and change in the work force, Sakazuki could give him a break.

They eventually made it to Sam's Club, the store that sold items in huge quantities which was necessary considering they're shopping for a whole unit of marines. As the vehicle was parked and they began to get out, Sengoku turned towards his little goat friend. "Be a good boy, ok? Don't let anyone steal the car." He rolled down the window so the goat wouldn't get heat stroke.

Coby exited the car and stretched, his arms reaching above his head as he took a couple deep breaths of fresh air. The day was warm and sunny, clouds beginning to build up far in the distance. Maybe it would rain. It'll curb the heat at least. Sakazuki had already went ahead, slipping through the sliding doors. Coby checked his hoodie pocket and saw the list Sakazuki had given him. Before they had left to the store, Sakazuki had split up the grocery list three ways, so they wouldn't all be stuck together. Thank God for that. Coby didn't feel like spending an hour so close to that man even if they were just shopping. He peered the items on the list:

  * eggs
  * soy milk
  * bread
  * protein powder
  * fruits and vegetables
  * etc



Mostly things a normal household would need. Easy enough. So long as he didn't run into Sakazuki before the checkout. He glanced back at Sengoku, who was still by the back seat window, cooing at his goat, who made some questionable noises in reply. He then made his way into the giant store, grabbing a basket since he wouldn't need a cart for the few items he was tasked with getting. He moved to the produce section first, testing how hard or soft the veggies were and checking if the fruits were ripe before bagging them and sticking them in his basket. See? This was all easy. No interruptions, no random interactions with anyone. A quick and simple shopping trip. Once he got home, he'd finish his homework and then relax with some lo fi music and a good book. A smile slowly spread on his face as he continued down to the dairy section for the milk and eggs. He was just checking if none of the eggs were cracked inside of the carton when someone tapped against his shoulder. His smile immediately dropped.

"Hey, you're that Coby kid, right? I'm glad I finally found you." A tall man in a white shirt tucked into a pair of black jeans and wearing white nike shoes smiled at him. His hair was a orange-brown pompadour, a scar similar to Garp's around his left eye and a black goatee upon his chin. "We've been trying to find you and here you are! Shopping no less. Anyway-"

Coby quickly shoved the man into an aisle and peered around, hoping Sengoku nor Sakazuki had seen what had just happened. He turned back to the man who had one eyebrow raised.

"Hey, if you wanted some privacy, we could have went out the back door, if you know what I mea-"

"Listen, I know you're happy to see me, but you can't just come up to me like that," Coby spoke quickly. "What if I had been around other marines?"

The man just blinked and shrugged. "I already checked to see if you were alone. Don't worry, that volcano dude that came in is aisles away."

_Volcano dude? Sakazuki?_ "Ok, but I really can't risk **ANYONE** seeing us." Coby warned again. "There's already stupid rumors going around the base about me protecting you guys. They think I'm some kind of spy or whatever."

"Whitebeard wouldn't mind extra eyes in the marines."

"Seriously?!" Coby stared in wide eyed horror. Was this guy joking right now? But the guy's only reply was:

"Deadass." 

What did that even mean? Coby just pinched the bridge of his nose. "So, who are you again?"

"Name's Thatch." Pompadour dude, Thatch, mocked a gentleman's bow. "A pleasure to finally meet our savior."

"I didn't save anyone. I just stalled Fleet Admiral Sakazuki long enough for you guys to escape."

"And we managed to survive another day because of that. Sounds like saving to me." Thatch scratched his goatee, glancing at the items along the aisle.

Coby took a deep breath. Thatch was right. He did practically save their lives, but at the cost of his own reputation among his unit. He was just starting to get it back, but now, in the middle of a supermarket, with one of the crew members he saved, he felt like there were eyes watching him _everywhere_. He sighed. "Ok, Yeah, I'm your _hero_ or whatever, but what are you doing here?" _Hopefully not stalking me. Do all the crews or gangs just shop here so casually? Its not far-fetched but i figured they'd get their items from the black-market or shipped to them-_

"I'm here shopping just like any other customer." Thatch replied. "Was passing through the aisles trying to avoid your boss when I spotted you." Thatch suddenly looked up and down the aisle. "Speak of the devil," He then maneuvered himself to be behind Coby, using his bigger frame to cover the young marine.

"What are you-" Coby cut himself off as he peeked around Thatch's shoulder. There was Sakazuki. The Fleet Admiral was in their aisle. Thankfully, he hadn't looked up from the items and Coby took this chance to nudge Thatch back out into the dairy section and behind a mini aisle full of cheeses and sandwiches. They crouched there for a couple of seconds, Thatch's attention on the sandwiches while Coby peered over the top of the mini aisle. He breathed a sigh of relief as Sakazuki was nowhere in sight. It would only be a matter of time before he had to go to their meeting place to end their shopping so he turned to Thatch. "Listen, it's good that you wanted to thank me, but I should really be going. You should, too. I may have saved you once, but I don't want to have to do it again in the middle of a grocery store."

Thatch smiled warmly. "I'm glad I could finally relay our thanks to you. If you ever need a favor, we're more than willing to help you out."

Coby nodded his head. "Thanks. I'll remember that." Thatch grabbed a sandwich, waved at him and made his way out from their hiding spot. Coby watched him stride confidently past other shoppers and sighed. He pulled his hoodie sleeve down to view his watch and nearly choked on air. He stood up to his full height and hurried the health section to retrieve the protein powder.

* * *

"Took your sweet time." Sakazuki glared down at Coby, who was slightly panting with how hard he had power walked across the store to gather the last items on the list before meeting up at the self checkout. 

Coby bowed slightly. "Sorry, I, uh, got held up a little," He averted his gaze and focused on setting the basket on the counter to take the items out.

"Held up by what exactly-" Before Sakazuki could finish, Sengoku came up behind them, a single box of crackers in hand. 

"Phew, you'd think they'd have snacks like these closer to the checkout," Sengoku set the box down and placed both hands on his hips like he had done a mile run. "No respect for the elderly these days, huh." He wheezed.

"Should have stayed back at the base," Sakazuki scanned the items and dumped them in bags.

Sengoku said something in reply, but Coby was distracted by a familiar person trying to get his attention. He looked over and noticed Thatch in a checkout line a few aisles down. He was smiling at Coby, tilted his head at Sakazuki and made a face. Coby couldn't help but smile as he held in a laugh. He shook his head and looked back down at the groceries, taking a bag from Sakazuki's outstretched hand. 

"You find this amusing?" Sakazuki's voice sounded deeper and Coby looked up, his smile fading at the dark look on the older man's face.

He shook his head, mouth opening and closing as he tried to find something to say. "Ah, no, I was just remembering something.." Coby chanced a quick look over the aisle and noticed Thatch had disappeared. _Good._

Sakazuki narrowed his eyes and followed the quick glance, but couldn't pinpoint what Coby could be looking at. He simply grabbed the rest of the bags and started towards the shop's doors. Coby and Sengoku following a little bit behind him. Coby felt breath brush his ear.

"I saw you with that man." 

Coby nearly jumped sky high. He glanced at Sengoku, afraid the former Fleet Admiral would snitch on him, but the man just leaned back and looked ahead, already opening the box of crackers. He shoved a few into his mouth before continuing in a low voice. "He's one of those gang members you saved, yeah?"

Coby kept his lips pressed together, only nodding.

Sengoku stopped chewing, his gaze going serious. "You're lucky it was me who saw you. Sakazuki may have been fooled once, but he can't be fooled twice."

And with that, they reached the car, Sakazuki placing the bags in the trunk. Coby glanced once more at Sengoku, but the man had already gotten into the car, feeding a cracker to his goat. Coby got in and buckled himself in slowly. He leaned back, his eyes downcast as his mind whirled with all that had happened in the span of an hour in a grocery store. As the car was beginning to drive away, he cast a look back and nearly broke the seat belt as he twisted in his seat. There was Thatch, standing by his vehicle. A shorter male in a green shirt and a guy with dreads, a monkey perched on his shoulders, both standing alongside him until all three began to get in the car. Coby twisted back around, leaning once more into his seat. He looked up and could feel his throat tighten as he locked eyes momentarily with Sakazuki; the driver obviously wondering what Coby could be so interested in before glancing back at the road. 

Coby was glad the members of the Whitebeard crew were safe, but God forbid they ever meet like this again. It was too risky and he'd already been caught, but he knew Sengoku was a rational guy. He would just have to not volunteer on the next few shopping trips, just to be on the safe side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters in one day?! Wow, you guys are lucky I'm in a writing mood. I should be updating more regularly until some time in September, since I'll be busy with moving up North. I'm excited. 
> 
> Deadass = Seriously   
> (for those of you who didn't know)


	4. Chapter 4

_The night was darker than usual._ Clouds obscuring the moon and stars, leaving the area a pitch black. No birds chirped and there wasn't a single leaf rustling since there was no wind. Everything was still and silent. Except for a tall, lone figure making his way through the darkness. He had no light to guide him, but he seemed to be moving as if it were daylight. No hesitation as he slipped past trees and avoided holes that threatened to break an ankle if he stepped one foot out of place. He wore a long trench coat, the hood over his head to hide his features. His boots barely making prints on the ground. Would be bad to have some random cop or kid follow the trail. It may have been dark, but in this part of town, eyes were _everywhere_. He stepped into a patch of empty ground as a break in the clouds allowed a bit of light to shine down on him. He looked up, his sunglasses glinting in the moonlight. He exhaled, his breath showing as if it were cold out, though it was mid summer. After a moment, he moved again, long legs propelling him through the woods. Making a couple more turns and stops and he finally reached his destination: A big, dark mansion that looked out of place in the middle of the woods. Its exterior walls, double doors and stairs that led to the doors seemed as if they had just been built. Well, it had been built only a couple years ago, but it was smack dab in the middle of trees! How it didn't bare any scratches from long tree branches or littered with animal marks was beyond him. It wasn't the first time he's been here, but it was still a sight to behold. He stopped by the bottom of the stairs, wondering if he should have sent a text before making his way over here, but eh, too late. He ascended the stairs and paused at the doors. He was positive the cameras had already spotted him, but he knocked anyway, using the back of his hand. Despite the business he was in, he still considered himself a gentleman of manners. 

The door opened a crack and he took this as his cue to enter. He grabbed the handle and let himself in, knowing nobody would be on the other side to greet him. Automatic doors are a thing of the present now. Once he stepped in, the cold air felt like heaven after walking in that muggy heat. Based on the cloud cover from outside, it would storm soon. Hopefully, some cold rain would fall. He grabbed his hood and pulled it down, taking a moment to ruffle his hair back in order. Keeping the sunglasses on, he took his boots off before stepping onto the smooth, wood floors. In front of him lay a wide staircase, the railing a shining gold. He wondered how much money these people would have spent to create such place and for the love of the holy land, why in the middle of the woods? Fortunately, the trees were abnormally tall and the woods dense, keeping the large house from being spotted. The tree leaves were so thick, you probably couldn't view it from above unless you looked hard enough and in just the right area. There were two halls on his right and left; the left leading to the living large living room area and some bedrooms, while the right led to the kitchen and garage. There was a road that led to this house, but it was well hidden and too much of a bumpy ride to bother wasting gas, which is why he walked. It only took him maybe 45 minutes, but exercise is good for you, ya know. 

He walked towards the staircase before going straight past it and into a secret hall that was hidden behind it. He made a few turns, passing tool rooms, weapon rooms, even rooms that suspicious sounds came from. He shrugged, this was basically a black market, trap house. Those strange noises could be from all sorts of reasons; two of them being prostitution and torture. He walked down a set of stairs and came to an elevator. He pressed the down button and waited. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. A couple notifications announcing text messages were shown and he put in his password to view them as the elevator finally arrived. He stepped inside and pressed a round white button with the letters BB printed on it. He lifted his phone back up and clicked on the messaging app, choosing the message he'd prefer to respond to.

**One new message from JB [7:38pm]**

**JB:** I'm _going to assume you have the information we need_

He sniffed. Yeah, he had the information alright, but what was he going to get in return? He replied with a simple-

_Yeah_

That's all they needed to know. He was at the place anyway, so he'll give them all the information they craved for. The elevator began to slow down, the momentum making him feel pressed down. The door slid open and he entered into the joint headquarters of the Blackbeard gang and Donquixote family. There was music playing on some speakers off to his right. The lights were dimmed slightly,giving it a 'late night at the office' feel. Honestly, he didn't know what went through Joker's mind to want to join hands with the 'big fella' as Teach was called. Probably because Kaido agreed to a ceasefire on the condition that more SMILE drugs and weapons would be mass produced with the addition of more capable men. He was only here to have a word with double B himself, but upon entering leaving the elevator, that wasn't going to be an option. 

Joker, real name Doflamingo, was sitting with his long legs spread apart like a lazy teenager. A tiny girl chewing on probably blue berries on one side, a young boy with a sharp toothed grin on the other. Either the hat had horns as a part of cosplay or this kid was the devil. He caught the horned kid's eyes and he leaned forward, patting Joker's hand. Joker turned, his smile getting bigger as he saw the tall man approaching. 

"Well, well, well," Joker's chest shook with a hidden laugh. "Here on business again, I see."

He hummed in reply. He really didn't want to talk to this guy. Especially after that bullshit that nearly got Corazon killed. Joker found out about his and Corazon's 'little fling' and had sent his own brother to basically die. If he hadn't insisted on going, things would have went much differently. "Is Teach in?"

Joker pointed with a thumb towards a room farther down, sticking a blunt in his mouth. "He's in there, but you might want to take a seat. He's kinda _busy._ " He then erupted into giggles, his smile wide and his eyes boring into him even with the sunglasses on. He was downright creepy. 

But, unfortunately, he had a cuddle appointment with said creepy man's brother in an hour so the quicker they got this done, the faster he could get home before Corazon did. He didn't want to go through unnecessary questioning about where he was. It's not that Corazon didn't know what kind of business he was in, but he never thought to bring up the fact that he wasn't just working some side deals with BB. His brother was in on it, too. Hell, Kaido was in as well. Corazon may not be a marine anymore, but it would be in his best wishes to never let him find out about this until he was able to get the information he needed. You could say he was a 'double spy'. He wasn't a marine anymore, that was a story for later, but he sure as hell wasn't going to settle for 'drug lord' either. Just wasn't his thing. 

He tuned out Joker's gradually getting louder giggles and made his way towards said room. Noises of pleasure could be heard and he clenched his jaw. _Fuck it_. He rapped his knuckles against the door. "Teach, it's me. Sorry to disturb you but this'll only take minute."

The noises died down. Grumbled voices and shuffling of clothes sounded from inside the enclosed space. The door opened a crack and smoke billowed out. The scents of weed burned his nose and he wrinkled it as a reflex. He let himself in and was met with a mixture of sights and scents. There was a large bed, maybe bigger than a king size bed since Teach was quite the rounded fellow. Both Teach and a thin, black haired male were on the bed, the latter seemed asleep, he couldn't tell since his hair blocked his face. His subordinate, Van Augur, was seated at a table on the far left side of the room, a cigarette in one hand. Diamante, one of Joker's high ranking officials, was seated across the table from Augur, his back to the door, but he could see smoke coming from him, too. 

"Zehaha, was wondering what was takin' you so long," Teach smirked, arms propping his head up in a relaxed manner. "Aokiji."

Aokiji simply shrugged. "Where's Burgess? I assume he wants to hear this, too."

Teach held up a phone that was in the middle of a call. Aokiji took that as a sign that Burgess was on the other line. The frost man found a lone chair on the side on the wall and grabbed it, sitting close to the door. He took his sunglasses off and placed let them hang from his shirt. He crossed one leg over the other and took a breath. "You wanted to know about the location of a certain man, yes?"

* * *

Aokiji stepped out of the mansion, sunglasses and hood back on. He took a look at the sky, noticing the patches of clear sky seeping through the clouds and checked his phone. The time was 10 pm. _Damn_. Did he really talk with them that long? He was late but he could deal with a few bouts of whining from Corazon. He briskly climbed down the stairs and headed off into the woods. Thunder rumbled in the distance, the humid air leaving his face feeling sticky, hands clammy as he shoved them in his coat pockets. The wind brought the scents of dirt, grit and rain. He'd need a shower as soon as he got home. 

Walking was all fine and dandy, but he called an uber as he exited the woods. Better to ride home than to be soaked through since it had started to sprinkled. The street lights were dim but illuminated the streets enough for Aokiji to see. No one was out. As if they'd want to be running around in the rain. Though, he knew a few rambunctious kids that'd be outside in any weather. The uber soon arrived at his home and he got out, paid the driver, and sped walked to the entrance and out of the rain. Before he could twist the door knob, the door opened and a very pouty Corazon greeted him. 

"You're late." 

Aokiji could have laughed at the cute way his partner crossed his arms, slighty hunched over to appear small, but he kept a poker face. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry." He leaned in for a kiss, but a hand pushed at his face.

"Ew, you're all gross. Go take a shower first." _Oh yeah._ He almost forgot.

One quick shower later and Aokiji was snuggled on the bed with Corazon, his arms wrapped around his best friend and soulmate. They were silent, listening to the rain as it lightly tapped against the narrow window above their bed. He waited, his breathing slow and even, yet his mind was wide awake. Would Corazon ask about his whereabouts? He usually doesn't considering the amount of trust both had for each other. But there was only silence. Aokiji looked down and noticed Corazon's rhythmic breaths. Oh, he was alseep. The rain'll do that to you. Aokiji smiled to himself, snapped a finger and the lights dimmed down. He might as well get a few hours of sleep before he had to be up and about again, doing stupid errands for a stupid drug lord. 

The clock read 7:30am when he grabbed his phone to turn the alarm off. He rubbed his eyes and look at Corazon, the man slowly stretching his arms and legs. The sounds of joints popping when Aokiji stretched was like music to his ears. He got up and started to dress in his regular t-shirt and slighty baggy jeans attire. Complete with his trench coat and sunglasses. 

"Don't you have anything else to wear?" Corazon's voice came from the bathroom, the sink running. "I bought that cute outfit for you and you never bothered to wear it. I should take it back." 

Aokiji snorted. "Yeah, yeah, I'll wear it."

"You say that every time," Corazon left the bathroom, a towel drying his face off. "But then you run off with that damned trench coat like it isn't a million degrees outside."

"The heat doesn't bother me," Aokiji smiled. "I guess it's because I'm-"

"A _chill_ guy," Corazon finished. "Yeah, whatever, frost man. Anyway, I'm gonna make breakfast and you _better_ eat more than two bites. You can't live off of air."

"I've always wanted to try photosynthesis." Corazon rolled his eyes and elbowed Aokiji as he passed. 

Breakfast was relatively short despite Corazon's attempts at shoving another plate of pancakes at Aokiji. "You can't live off of bacon, honey."

"I've lived off worse foods." Aokiji stole another piece of bacon off of Corazon's plate, the latter pretending to stab at him with a fork. 

"You're such a pain," Corazon mumbled, chewing slowly on some eggs. 

"and yet here you are, enjoying every bit of this pain in the ass," Aokiji joked. 

"Just get out already," Aokiji placed a kiss on his forehead as he started to head outside. Corazon then added with a start. "Oh yeah, have you talked to Law recently?"

Aokiji slowed his pace as he was heading to the door. "Ah, not in a while. Should I have?"

Corazon sighed. "Of course you should have! He's just as much yours as he is mine! Just text a 'hi' or something. I should probably call him later, too.." He trailed off as he began to pick up dishes and put them in the sink. 

"Alright, well, I'm heading out!"

"Don't get arrested! Love you!"

"Oh gee, love you, too."

Aokiji stopped by the garage, contemplating whether he wanted to take the motorcycle or his usual bike. There was a fully functioning car in there, too, but he usually left it for Corazon, who was rather clumsy. He thought about just grabbing another uber, but movement down the road caught his eye. He glanced up and nearly cursed as he recognized the matte black vehicle sitting in silence by the sidewalk. It obviously looked out of place, but he knew who was inside. He looked back at his house to make sure Corazon wasn't there and quickly made his way across the street and towards the vehicle. When he got to the driver side window, he looked around as subtly as he could before knocking on the glass. The window rolled down and he didn't need to see who was inside. 

"What do you want?" He said without so much as a glance into the car. 

"You're needed," Was the response.

"Needed where exactly? And why did you have to appear near my damn house-"

"It's Kaido." Aokiji then looked into the car, Vergo's stoic, shade wearing face stared back at him. 

That was all he needed to hear as he looked around again and sidled into the passenger side, adjusting the seat to conform with his long limbs. Vergo said nothing more as they drove down the street and into the city, which held some of the most dangerous men in the country. One of them being the very man Aokiji had to face today. He wished he could send a text to Corazon that he might be late again, but he didn't want Vergo to seem suspicious of him. It was bad enough the guy had his weapons on full display on the dashboard. Aokiji would just have to suffer another pouty face. 

**If** he survived the conversation with the lead dealer of the underground. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This felt long and short at the same time. I don't know why it felt so hard to write this. It would have been up yesterday, but I had some family issues and couldn't focus.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it'll be easier to focus on 3-5 characters in this book instead of trying to write chapters about all the characters.. I'm also thinking of making this a series, so if you don't see a chapter with your favorite character, just wait till next book or something... What do you guys think?

_Shanks dodged a swing to his head, ducking and_ swiping a leg underneath his attacker to pull him off balance. Once the man was on the ground, He used his prosthetic arm to jab a punch to the guy's chin, knocking him out. He looked up as another man charged at him with a roar. He leaped back but his foot caught on the unconscious man's loose pant leg and staggered. The new attacker lifted a jagged dagger, ready to slice through his jugular, but a gunshot rang out and the man fell forward with a choked grunt, falling over on top of the other man. Shanks waited to see if he'll spring back up, but red began to blossom underneath the man and he knew this guy wasn't getting back up. A strong hand lifted him up and spun him around.

"Be more careful. How could you slip on a damn pant's leg?" His right hand man, Ben, glared at him, a rifle propped on his hip and pointed upwards. "Where even is your gun? Did you lose that, too?"

Shanks couldn't help but laugh sheepishly. "I've got my gun." He reached towards his belt and pulled out a 1911 pistol, checking to see how much ammo was left inside, though he hadn't used it yet. His prosthetic arm was quite the weapon in and of itself. 

Ben just nodded and cocked his head to the hanger building behind him. "Come on, we still got a mission to complete." The two took off towards the sounds of gun fire. 

The mission they were on wasn't much. A simple skirmish against a group of Kaido's men who dared to try and take over a section of town that was under Shanks protection. He didn't know what the other man was up to, but he wasn't just going to sit down and let it happen. As they approached the hanger, a bomb went off too close for comfort and the two dived behind an overturned diesel. Explosives, huh? Well, wasn't that exciting? Not only did they have to dodge bullets, they also had to make sure they weren't going to be blown to bits. Ben peered over the top of the truck and quickly located a man caring a set of dynamite. Really, dynamite? In this day and age? Ben took aim and fired, the explosives going off and turning the man and anyone else nearby into chunky bits. 

"Nice shot," Shanks praised as he rubbed a cloth over his robotic arm. He didn't want it to get stained by blood or any sort of fluid. It'll cause it to rust and he just got this arm not too long ago. 

"That's not the last of them." Ben replied just as another explosion went off further away. "We're gonna have to split up to cover more area. Let's hope they aren't using the bombs as a distraction to surround us."

Just then, a bullet ricocheted from the side of the overturned diesel and both of them tensed. Their hiding spot had been noticed. Shanks tapped Ben and the two leaped away from the vehicle, Shanks heading into the hanger. Just then, a group of men charged at him and he smirked, feeling the thrill of battle vibrate through his veins. One man got ahead of the others and jabbed his weapon forward to stab its sharp end into Shanks shoulder. Shanks twisted his body to dodge, then grabbed the weapon with one hand as he pulled his gun up with the other. He fired a shot and the man went down. Another swung a left hook, but Shanks ducked down. He bent his knees and turned his body so he could jab his elbow into the man's gut. The man jerked forward and Shanks took this opportunity to point his gun under his chin and fire. Blood dotted Shanks face, but he had no time to wipe it off, instead, taking the dead man's weapon and stabbing it through the heart of another attacker. He tried to pull the weapon out but it wouldn't budge out of the man's chest and another man was almost upon him. He thought of something quick, pulling the weapon and the man closer to him as a shield from the other man. The burly man brought his weapon, an iron stick of some sort, down, the sounds of a skull cracking was heard. Shanks dumped tossed the man with the weapon still lodged in his body forward, and as it came into contact with the burly man, Shanks used them as a ramp and leaped off of them. As he was in the air, he pointed his gun down and shot a bullet through the burly man's head. Once all four attackers had been dealt with, he headed deeper into the hanger, running upstairs as a familiar voice called his name. Shanks reached the top of the stairs and spotted Yasopp with his back pressed against the railing, a bigger man pressed a rifle against Yasopp's own sniper rifle as if waiting for the weight to crush the railing and send Yasopp down to his death. Shanks wasn't going to let that happen, so with quick steps, he lifted his gun and fired. Yet, the barrel was empty. He frowned and threw the gun at the big man's head. As it bounced off, the man reeling backwards, Shanks grabbed a blade from his belt and swung it towards the man's chest. Surprisingly, the man regained his composure and brought his rifle down to protect himself. The blade clashed against the rifle with a ringing sound. Behind Shanks, Yasopp aimed his sniper rifle, but another enemy appeared from one of the work rooms and Yasopp had to jump into a somersault just to miss the swing of a nasty looking knife. The big man shoved Shanks blade away, the red haired man taking a step back as the force rocked him a little. The big man then aimed his rifle and shot a few rounds, Shanks twisting and jumping to dodge them. A bullet grazed his arm, his black jacket sleeve tearing as the burning sensation tingling at the back of his mind. When the rifle appeared to be empty, the big man growled and tossed it, flipping a switchblade out of his pocket. The two circled each other, eyes switching between each other's faces and the blades in their hands. Shanks was the first to move, racing forward and making a move to jump up, but the big man smirked and swung his blade using a upward motion. 

But Shanks wasn't planning on jumping. 

As the enemy's blade swung past his legs, he made a move as if he had slipped and slid between the man's legs, swiping the blade in a rainbow motion, cutting the man's heels. Blood spurted from the wounds and the man went to his knees. Shanks rolled into a standing position, grabbed the man's head and broke his neck in a swift jerk. The man fell forward and Shanks took a moment to recover, breathing heavily. He then went to look for Yasopp to see if he still needed help, but as he reached the place the other man had disappeared to, Yasopp was sitting in a chair, one leg propped up on the other. His rifle rested on his shoulders. He smiled as Shanks came in, a cut on his cheek red with a small trail of blood flowing down.

"I was wondering when you were going to finally kill the guy and find me," Yasopp then pointed behind himself, and Shanks spotted the dead body of the guy who had charged at him earlier, holes riddling his abdomen. 

"Glad to know I wasn't needed." Shanks placed his hands on his hips. The adrenaline he had before starting to ebb away. His breaths came in heavy pants and he knew Yasopp was just as tired. They'd been fighting for at least a couple hours now. They weren't going to stop until the place was clear of Kaido's troops. Even if it took all day. 

"Shanks!" A voice called from downstairs. "Yo, Yasopp!" 

The two shared a look before heading to the railing to peer down at who was called them. Lucky Roo was looking around for them on the floor level. Shanks called out to him and the rounded man looked up. Smiling as he spotted them. He ran closer to stand under the balcony they were standing on. "I'm glad you two are ok, but we gotta scram. Cops starting to show up."

Yasopp muttered a curse and made his way downstairs. Shanks followed after him. "Have you seen the rest of our crew? I split with Ben a while ago, but I haven't seen the others."

Lucky Roo nodded towards the back of the hanger, where they were going to escape from. "I saw a few of them leave out that way. They must all be waiting on us."

The faraway sound of sirens began to gradually get louder. If they did end up having the fight the police, he'd have to tell his gang not to kill any of them. They weren't exactly murderous criminals. They just did what they had to do to defend their turf. They exited through the back doors, a, armored, back van waiting for them. the doors opened and Ben shouted for them to get in just as the cops, no, the fucking _marines_ swerved their vehicles from around the side of the hanger. Sirens blaring, Shanks, Yasopp and Lucky Roo dived into the van and, without a second to lose, they flew out of the complex and onto the street. 

"Why is it the marines?" Yasopp questioned while pointing his scope to view the cars behind them. "I don't think what happened was all _that_ bad."

Ben coughed. "The explosions probably startled a lot of people nearby. Hell, if I were a random passerby, I'd have called for the entire swat unit."

Shanks carefully approached the back of the van as it rocked down the road. "We gotta put them off our trail somehow." He looked at the array of weapons littering the flooring and grabbed a couple spike balls used to destroy the wheels of any vehicle that chased them. "Let's just put a stop to them now before we end up being chased across the state, yeah?" He popped open the back window and dropped a couple of the balls, watching as they bounced for a bit before sticking to the ground. As a marine vehicle went over it, the wheels popped with a loud sound, the car swerving, causing the cars behind it to crash into it. Thankfully, the cars didn't do too much damage to each other. 

With that done, the driver swerved the van through a couple alleys until arriving at a car shop where it pulled into, the garage doors closing just as police cars whizzed by, sirens screaming. The crew members caught their breath for a moment before hopping out of the van. They were all covered in dirt, sweat and blood, but the feeling of winning back what was there's was still bright in their eyes. Ben shoulder nudged Shanks with a smile. Lucky Roo and Yasopp led the others to a separate room where there was sure to be booze and food waiting for them. This car shop may look normal on the outside and inside, but it was owned by the Red Hair crew, Shank's crew. Basically a safe house just in case something, like what just happened, were to transpire. The phone to the shop rang and Ben nudged Shanks again before going into the celebration room. Shanks went over to the phone as it rang. He could only assume who it was. The shop was closed today, so he didn't suspect a random customer. He picked it up and held it up to his face, not saying anything. 

"I'm going to assume you're there, Red Hair." The voice on the other end was deep and menacing, but Shanks wouldn't be intimidated by him. 

"And I'm going to assume you have a very good reason why you're men were trying to take over one of my bases."

Kaido exhaled, a rumbling noise through the phone. "I've got too many men now. I need a place for them to stay. Don't you understand?"

Shanks looked away from the phone, snorting. "You really think I care about how big your gang's gotten? Big Mom's got more folks than you and even she knows to keep her hands to herself."

"Does she really?" Kaido inquired.

Shanks couldn't help but let his voice sound gruff with a growl. "Keep your nose outta my territory, Kaido. I won't tell you again." He hung the phone up without waiting for a reply and ran a hand through his hair. This was no time to be starting a gang war. With the summer getting into full swing, kids were going to be out more, making them targets for ricocheted bullets or stray bombs. Lord knows the hell he'd cause if Luffy were to get hurt. And what did Kaido mean by that last question? Was Big Mom doing something he should be worried about? He quickly grabbed his cell phone, covered in scratches thanks to the fighting that just happened, and dialed the number to one of his bases near Big Mom's territory. It rang three times before someone finally picked up. "Hey, everything alright over there? I need to know if any of Big Mom's crew have made a move." 

Silence. 

He looked back at his phone to make sure the sound was up and asked again. "Hello? Is anyone there? Can you here me?" It felt like an eternity until a strangely familiar voice spoke.

"Are you sure you dialed the right base?" 

Shanks froze. _No.._

"You're going to say 'who is this?'," The male voice spoke intelligently. "You're going to ask 'what have you done with my men?', correct?"

Shanks hung up as Ben came out of the room. He looked over at him, face pale. Ben's smile faded to be replaced with a confused, yet worried frown. Shanks leaned one hand against the podium that held the shop's phone and one hand on his hip. That was all that needed to be said. The two then moved towards the van to check if they had enough ammo to go through another raid battle. If they were smart, they could go through only a third of their ammo with a few bullets to spare if they got the job done correctly. But Shanks knew who the man on the other line was. It was going to take more than a third of their ammo and a couple blades to chase him off. As they were checking their stock, Yasopp stepped out, a little tipsy.

"Hey, why're you guys still out here? Not making out in the van, are ya?" Shanks could have went along with the joke if the situation wasn't so serious. He simply got out and motioned for the others, who were looking out of the doorway, to join him. When they were all there, he looked to Ben, who gave a tight nod before addressing his crew. 

"Looks like we'll need to get back another base."

Murmurs of "what the fuck?" and "aw, shit, here we go again," came from the assembled men. 

Shanks sighed through his nose. _Here we go again, indeed_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing fighting scenes is a lot of fun. :>


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten a comment asking who the black haired person in BB's bed was in chapter 4... It's not Law. Oh, God, no.
> 
> Anyway, remember the crocodile/doflamingo ft vergo chapter I promised back in the old story? Well, I had it written down in my notes, but never published it because I kept changing it and revising it and just couldn't get it the way I wanted. Well, with this new story plot, I may have finally settled with something.. Hopefully, it's ok for you guys..

_He waited, staring at his phone as if_ willing for that certain person to message him back. He'd been holding his phone to his face for a while now, the bright light glaring off of his sun shades. He'd send a text at least once a day knowing damn well he wouldn't get a response. At least, not from this guy. But today was different. He actually sent a voicemail! Wow! Progress. 

At first, Doflamingo wondered what could be so hard about sending a reply back, even if it was a 'fuck you'. It only took a second out of a whole 24 hours to do. He sat reclined on his giant, king sized bed. The TV showing a news report about the recent battle between the Red Hairs and Kaido's gang. There was even a segment including a scene from the Red Hair vs. Big Mom crew. The news reporter had to yell over the raging flames and sounds of sirens as fire fighters and cops helped clean up the battlefield. Doflamingo had laughed like a mad man when he first heard the news. Shanks was a bad ass, but to fight two of the biggest crews in the country over some simple buildings? What a psycho! If only the man could be recruited to join them, they'd be an unstoppable force. Not even the five elders could do anything. 

He could text Corazon, real name: Rocinante, but he doubted he even had his brother's number anymore. He's been blocked so many times. Especially after that one incident that nearly took Roci's life, resulting in Mr. Ice man practically banning him from having any interaction with him ever again. Fair enough. Not like he wanted to speak to that traitor anymore anyway even if he was the one who sent Roci out on that mission hoping he would die. Doflamingo may be a crafty guy, but so was his brother, who turned out to be a damn marine. His true colors being revealed during that mission. He even took Law away! The audacity! 

_Oh well_. He had his own 'kids' to worry about. All of which were at school or doing whatever the hell they wanted to. Monet had posted an Instagram story an hour ago, showcasing her, Sugar and Baby5 indulging in delicacies from a fancy candy shop. Caesar hadn't left his lab in _weeks._ Bellamy wasn't bothering him, so Doflamingo didn't really care where he was. He had sent out Trebol, Pica and Diamante to patrol the eastern borders. Gives them something to do since it's been pretty quiet lately. Giolla should be watching Dellinger. That child could be a little out of control when left alone. Everyone else was off doing their own things. Staying out of trouble should be on all of their minds. There didn't need to be any problems if they could avoid them. 

He grabbed the remote, the news being switched to talks about the weather, and was about to channel surf when a knock at his door made his ears twitch. He got up, throwing the remote on the bed and reached the door in a couple of steps, thanks to his lovely, long legs. He opened the door, automatically looking down since the knock came from an average height for a human. His face split into a wide smile. "Well, what can I do for you this fine evening, Vergo?"

Said man stepped between his legs and entered the room, silent. He glanced at the TV as if it had sparked his interest. "I assume you've heard all the details about the other day." It was a statement. Not a question.

"Of course, I have." Doflamingo closed the door and made his way to a table propped in a corner of his room, sitting in one of the huge chairs meant for a abnormally huge person like himself. Vergo sat in the human sized chair across from him, helping himself to the tea that was magically still warm despite it sitting there since last night. "And I assume you have more information for me?"

Vergo sipped slowly. Doflamingo's smile faltered a little. What had Vergo being so slow today? He opened his mouth to tell him to just spit it out, but Vergo beat him to it. "Looks like we have another crew joining us." Was all he said. 

Doflamingo blinked. Not that anyone could see that since the glasses were basically super glued to his damn face. "Who-?"

Just then, his phone buzzed, the light turning on. They both stayed where they were, frowns on their faces expecting the caller to be you-know-who. Eventually, Doflamingo got up and clicked the 'accept call' button before the ringing ended. He put it to his ear, the smile from before coming back but even bigger. "Hey, there. Finally got an answer outta you. What took you so long?"

"I have no time for games." Was the reply. "You should know what I'm calling about by now."

Behind Doflamingo, Vergo took another sip, keeping the cup to his lips as he listened. So this was what he meant when he said another crew was joining. But why Crocodile of all people? Didn't he already get enough shit for that mess in Alabasta? He got put on death's row for fuck's sake! Maybe this was just him looking to create a new name for himself. But why Kaido's crew? He was a pretty well known guy; he could have rose to power again just by being himself. He was a pretty scary guy, after all. He even had a decent following despite sitting in prison for several months. He amazingly got out on 'good behavior', but that's another story for another time. 

"Oh? So you're gonna take your chances with the big leagues, eh? Didn't expect that outta you."

Crocodile's voice was even but Doflamingo could sense the annoyance in his words. "Just know that because I'm working for Kaido doesn't mean I'm working for you."

"Come on, sand man," doflamingo felt a laugh bubble in his chest. "Just think of us as equals. Nothing more, nothing less." Crocodile 'hmphed' and the line died. The laugh finally escaped his lips. This was good. _Very_ good. Having Crocodile around would have been a blessing on its own, but to actually be working with him now? _Heaven_.

Phone in hand, he went back to the table where Vergo still sat in the same position, cup to lips. He set his phone down and settled lazily into the chair, legs propped up on the table's surface. Things weren't so boring now. Blackbeard wasn't much of entertainment, Kaido was always in some suicidal state, and Aokiji only came when Blackbeard had some odd job for him. Doflamingo only had his family as real company, so adding Crocodile into the mix was going to be a roller coaster ride of fun. One he'd never get off of. Literally. 

Vergo hadn't really moved except to set his cup down. He watched doflamingo's expression, laughs rocking the man's shoulders, and frowned even more. He respected Doflamingo, he really did. But sometimes the man had moments like this, where everything was going the way he wanted and was left to giggle about it like a girl who had a man wrapped tightly around her finger. He wasn't called 'Joker' for nothing. Well, since he had done what he came here to do...

"I'll be leaving now."

Doflamingo's attention snapped to him. "Aw, why? Jealous that I'm excited to see Croco?"

Vergo felt a vein in his forehead twitch. Was he serious? Did he really think Vergo, **The** Vergo, would be bothered by Doflamingo's one-sided love for an enemy? Well, they weren't really enemies starting now, but it didn't matter. Crocodile would never like him back. Would never like any of the Donquixote Family. They were destined to be forever enemies and that was that. Vergo kept his tone controlled. "If that's what you think, then you don't know me at all. I'm going on patrol. Diamante's group is back." 

The door closed and Doflamingo was left to his own devices. The TV was still on the news channel; a female news reporter going over the highlights of upcoming events. There was a fair coming up, a festival happening downtown the next day. He was sure other crews and gangs would be there. Who wouldn't want to enjoy the festivities? Maybe a fight might break out. Now _that_ would be a awe striker. Of course the cops would be there, maybe the marines, too. Doflamingo wouldn't put it past Sakazuki to not have at least a few guys hanging around the edges of the scene. If anything, Doflamingo would cause a scene himself. He was used to doing that anyway. It's been a boring half-month, so he needed something fun to do. Maybe he could drag Crocodile with him. _It'd be a date_. 

On the other side of the door, Vergo stood still. His frown ever so present on his face. Now that Crocodile was joining forces with them, that'd make Kaido's gang more of an army now. Even Big Mom would have to watch out for them. He knew the Government would be watching closely, too. Kaido's been a thorn in their sides for as long as he could remember. Vergo couldn't toss out the possibility of someone on the inside, too. He didn't trust Aokiji even if the man hadn't made any sort of moves since he left the marines. He was still tied to Rocinante; that was a problem on its own. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to worry about that. He had documents to file and get Diamante's report sent in to Headquarters. 

* * *

_Back in the frat house of Novas_

"Did you see the way the teacher looked when I spit that sick beat?" Hawkins was dining on a microwavable plant-based protein bowl at the kitchen table. Apoo had come home from classes laughing his ass off. He had been telling a story about when he got so bored he started beat boxing in the middle of study period, causing the entire room of delinquents to disturb every class in a mile radius with their rapping.

Hawkins could care less about anything Apoo did, wishing it could go back to ten seconds ago, when it was silent and he had forgotten Apoo existed. But here he was, long arms moving in some kind of ghetto dance move as music played in his headphones. Good thing he wasn't waiting for Hawkins to answer 'cause he wasn't going to provide one. He continued to eat in silence, hoping Apoo's attention could be pulled to someone else, but the house was empty. Everyone else was still in their classes. Hawkins had more online classes than on campus classes, so he was home earlier than the rest. He sipped some of his green tea, keeping eye contact with the rapping monkey to a very low minimum. He'd lose braincells if he did.

"So," Apoo finally calmed down enough to attempt to engage in another conversation. "I hear there's a fesitval coming up." The look on his face told Hawkins that he was hinting at asking him out. The answer was obvious.

"No. I've got a exam to study for." _Not that I'd go with you anyway_.

"Damn, you sure?"

_Do I look unsure to you?_ "Positive."

Apoo simply shrugged. "Well, I'm going. Maybe if you change your mind..."

Hawkins held in a sigh as he finished up his meal and got up. He cleaned his dishes and headed for the stairs, but paused to look back. "Don't expect to much." Then he was ascending the stairs, feeling pleased with his response. Besides, a festival seemed too much to handle. All those people, kids, greasy foods, kids, loud highschool teens, **kids**. It's not like he hated them. They were just noisy and messy and never really listened and were so obnoxious- Yeah, he didn't like kids. He didn't like the cops, either. They were always trying to engage in conversation with people they thought were suspicious. As if that would single out gangsters or whatever. The crews around here were too smart to get caught like that. At least Hawkins thought they were smart. Most of the time, they were usually doing dumb shit like stealing each other's territories or dealing in underground weapons selling. 

He got to his room, leaving the door open just a crack to let Drake know he wasn't asleep if the other came home early. They shared a room, but Drake wasn't really around much, working late into the nights since the ruckus with the Red Hair vs Kaido/Big Mom crews. Hawkins knew the man came home to sleep. The bed was always in some different form of a mess each morning. No time to make it when he was juggling classes and police business. Drake seemed like a decent guy, so Hawkins was 'nicer' to him than the other housemates. He still hoped the guy was doing ok. Being a police officer with so many gangs around was asking for a death sentence. Not that he cared or anything. They weren't really friends, just people who went to the same school and had a few classes together. But.. Before Drake got busy, they would eat dinner together; usually Drake talking about what happened at work and Hawkins silently listening. They would even have breakfast together if Hawkins didn't have early morning classes that day. It was beginning to get lonely in the room...

Ok, so maybe there was some kind of friendship brewing between them, but it was an awkward one. Now, most mornings were filled with Kidd and Apoo being as loud as possible in the living room with Killer telling them to 'shut the fuck up' while Hawkins sipped on a yogurt drink. Law was rarely home either, choosing to basically live in the hospital to 'stay close to patients who might need him'. He wasn't even a full doctor yet. He still needed to attend campus classes, too. _Wonder how that's working for him_. Bonney would appear in the hallway, brushing her hair as she entered the kitchen. Surprising how there wasn't any purple strands getting caught in food or hanging out in the fridge. She would yawn, say a quick 'mornin'' to Hawkins, then proceed to yell at the other men for being loud in the morning. He was on good terms with her. She never bothered him, like the others did, unless she wanted to show him some hair products that would make his hair 'super fluffy and shiny'. She was a pretty woman, too. Nice figure despite eating the house empty before Thursday, when shopping day was Sunday. 

Dinner was a quiet time. Like it was stated before, he got out of campus classes early, so he time to come home, shower, and eat dinner. All without getting bothered by the men in the house. At the end of the day, he was sort of glad for all the obnoxious noise. It'd be kind of creepy for it to be total silence everyday if he lived alone. He'd have to start talking to himself to get any sort of socializing done. He never really engaged with the other students in class. Now that he thought about it, maybe he should go to the festival. As introverted as he was, being alone, living in his own world, wasn't as fun as he thought. His family was wealthy, so he didn't need to ever work, but maybe he should. The lack of human interaction was making him feel like if this went on any longer he'd forget how his own voice sounded. He made up his mind and got up, already going through the many ways he could tell Apoo he'd go when the door opened.

There was Drake, police uniform tight against his frame. His eyes were wide when he nearly bumped into Hawkins, who had a hand raised to grab the door knob. The two stared at each other for a heartbeat longer before Hawkins averted his eyes and edged out of the doorway. Drake coughed and walked past him. Hawkins stepped outside, back pressed up against the wall since he figured Drake would want to take a shower. Hawkins looked down at the floor for a moment before leaning off the wall to head to Apoo's room.

"Hey, uh," Hawkins looked back and noticed Drake's head sticking out of the door, hiding behind it to shield his naked body. "Uh, Yeah I know I'm naked, but I've got a question.." He paused, adjusting the door. Hawkins felt like if he adjusted the door anymore to hide his body, he'd cut the circulation off in his neck. 

Hawkins raised an eyebrow as if to say 'well? get on with it'. Drake opened and closed his mouth a couple more times before shutting his eyes tight. "Would you like to go to the festival with me? I mean, if you don't want to that's fine. I know how you don't like crowds or kids or-"

"Sure."

"Oh, ok, maybe next ti-" Drake cut himself off, mouth hanging open. He narrowed his eyes to see if he had heard that right.

Hawkins held back from rolling his eyes. "Actually, Apoo had offered earlier but I said no. I was going back to tell him I had reconsidered, but since you asked, I wouldn't mind going with you." Hawkins suddenly wished he could pause, rewind, and reword that entire sentence.

Drake's face lit up into a bright smile. "That's great!" In his excitement, the door had moved, displaying everything god gave him to the blonde.

Eyebrows rose as Hawkins took in the sight. _Not bad._ Well, Drake was a cop and with how hard he's been working, he was bound to be a mass of muscle almost equal to that Smoker dude, who was built like a gundam. Drake followed his gaze and audibly cursed, closing the door with a slam. "Ah, sorry. A-anyway, I just thought to ask because I'm off those days and uh.. yeah." His voice was kind of muffled behind the door, but Hawkins felt the corners of his lips tug up in a smile he hadn't felt in forever.

Hawkins went up to the door. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get back into the room." 

There was a muffled reply, some shuffling, and then the door opened a crack. He grabbed the knob just as the door to the bathroom shut and the shower turned on. Hawkins shook his head. Then his smile started to fade. Did Drake just ask him out on a _date_. Well, maybe this was just a way for them to become real friends. But as Hawkins got into his bed and pulled the covers up to his eyes, he couldn't help the heat burning his cheeks. Maybe it _was_ a date. His mind kept rolling over that thought even when the sounds of the shower had turned off. Drake stepped from the shower in just sweatpants, his bare chest red from the heat of the water. Hawkins couldn't help but glance over. His eyes trailed up until their eyes met. At that moment, Hawkins quickly rolled over in bed, his back to the man standing confused on his side of the room. 

"Hawkins?" Even the way Drake said his name was starting to bother him. He pulled the covers up over his head, cocooning himself. "Uh.. Goodnight, I guess."

The lights turned off and that was that.

.

.

.

Until they had to converse again in the morning, but Hawkins would deal with that when the time came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I was writing Hawkins' pov, sad lo fi music started playing and now the first bit is just depressing. :') the ending gets better though ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps I may have contradicted myself. I stated in some of my chapters that it was summer time but then turn around and say that some characters were at school. So here's how this'll work: in this au, classes are all year round, having a couple weeks off as vacation. Also, chapter updates will start happening every other day to give me time to write a draft of new chapters, and a mini break. Though, I want to write as much as possible before I have to take a couple days (maybe a week) off because I'm moving.

\- _3 days before the festival -_

There was a stifling heat in the air. It was so heavy that Ace could barely take a breath without choking on it. He covered his mouth with a hand and trudged through the rubble of a building that once housed a large part of the Whitebeard crew. He didn't even remember how it all started. All he could trace back to was the moment of the explosion, a blinding light that made Ace see tiny white dots every time he blinked. There was chaos afterwards, silhouettes moving around at varying speeds trying to get out or retaliate against their attacker. There were bruises on his body from the impact of being blown away by the force of the explosion. He stumbled around, disoriented from the constant ringing in his ears. He tripped, a solid arm steadying him. He couldn't tell who had helped him for when he looked up, the person was shrouded by a thick black covering. Ace's eyes widened, but the figure moved before he could speak. He looked around and noticed everyone still in the building had the same black color as if they had yet to be unlocked in a video game. A few names popped into his head that could have done something like this. Was it Blackbeard's doing? He knew how much that guy hated them, especially after his failed attempt at killing his own crew mate. Thankfully, a night guard had found Thatch before the poor guy could bleed out, a jagged scar where he had been slashed forever engraved on his back. Ace paused, waiting for that signature laugh to reverberate through the wreckage. But there was nothing. The ringing in his ears died down and all that could be heard was the occasional crumbling of the debris and a dripping noise that came from every angle. 

As Ace looked for the source of the liquid, hoping it wasn't the sound of blood pooling out of his crew mates, a burning sensation crept along his abdomen. He put a hand over his mid section, his abs burned like they were on fire as he pressed his fingers to them. It was like a hot towel had been placed upon him. The pain was there, too. It doubled him over and left him gritting his teeth as he tried to suck in air that was clear of the heavy heat. What was wrong with him? Why was he in so much pain? Did the explosion hit him head on? He wasn't bleeding, the bruises from the impact not enough to hurt him like this. 

"...ce..."

Ace perked up. The voice sounded far away, yet familiar. For some reason, he couldn't pin point who the voice came from. He looked around but didn't see anyone. The black figures had all disappeared, but a low hanging black haze was still there and Ace stayed low as he moved. He didn't want to come into contact with it. He couldn't understand why, but he just knew it would burn him if he got too close to it. 

"Ace.." 

The voice sounded closer now and he followed it, skirting by pieces of rubble. A light was beginning to blossom through the black haze and Ace felt hopeful as he began to move quicker. _Yes! Finally! Freedom!_ He reached a hand towards it and stumbled to his knees as he finally exited that area of blackness. He took a moment to gather his breath before looking around. Now that he could see clearly, he was in some sort of clearing made of stone bricks. He slowly got to his feet, confused. _Where is this? Where am I?_

"Ace!"

Now he could tell who the voice was, his heart lurching at how pained and scared it sounded. He turned to his left and there was Luffy, crawling towards him a few feet away. His entire body was covered in bruises and bloody marks, purple areas suggesting broken bones, but Luffy continued to crawl. Ace nearly covered his mouth in horror. The worst state he's seen his brother in was the occasional black eye or blooding nose from getting into fights with street thugs. But never anything like this! Luffy's eyes were wide, yet tired and he stretched and arm out towards his big brother. Ace's feet had already started moving since the moment he spotted his little brother, reaching his side in seconds. He grabbed his brother just as the boy went limp. As Ace turned him over onto his back, a huge x like gash was on his chest. It looked so deep and pooled with blood. Ace couldn't help but grimace. How was Luffy still alive? Who could have done such a thing to his precious baby brother? What kind of monster-?

"Gol D. Ace."

Ace disliked the cops, save for the satisfaction of annoying Smoker. But the Marines? He hated every fiber of their being. Especially this one man. The one who spoke that cursed name. A name he would never wear and if he could, he'd erase it from the face of this Earth. Screw his real dad. Luffy whimpered his name again, and Ace tightened his hold on him. He bared his teeth at a lone, tall figure that stood a yard away. The man wore a white suit, but all Ace could see was the silver-eyed glare staring back at him. 

"Did... did you do this?" Ace growled, his eyes never leaving the enemy despite lifting up his brother from the ground. 

The man's figure suddenly began to grow hazy as the intense heat came back. It felt like it was boiling the air. Then, he started to melt, a red glow beginning to form over him. The red glow turned to liquid, which bubbled up and popped. The heat got stronger, too, choking Ace and Luffy. Once Ace stopped coughing, the magma man was gone, yet he could still feel his presence. The sudden heat was like a slap to his back and he whirled around, shoving the weakened Luffy behind him. There the volcanic demon was, a fist raised. It glowed hot with lava and grew in size. The pain in his body that he almost forgot came back full force and he leaned over, a loud gasp escaping him. Luffy gripped his arm tightly and Ace looked down at him, forcing a smile. 

"I'm fine. I won't let him hurt you." But Luffy just stared at him, standing to his full height as if he weren't in pain anymore.

"But he will."

Ace lifted a brow. _huh?_ "No, Luffy, I won't let that happen."

But Luffy just shook his head. "He already hurt you."

Ace was really confused now, narrowing his eyes. What the hell was he talking about? He wasn't making any sense. Luffy's eyes seemed to be looking through him. It unnerved Ace but he put a hand on his brother's shoulder, the man in front of them forgotten. "No he hasn't. Look, I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

Ace could have faced palmed if the growing pain in his chest wasn't making him wheeze. Ok, maybe he wasn't fine, but there wasn't anything to show for the cause of the pain.

"See? You're already hurt." Luffy pointed to Ace's abdomen and the latter looked down.

There was a large magma fist embedded in the spot he had just been pressing a hand into. Dark red blood began to pool on the stone bricks. Ace gagged and blood splattered from his mouth. He looked at the blood then to Luffy, who suddenly had no eyes, just black holes where they should have been. Luffy opened his mouth wide until it looked just like his eyes, a round, black hole. 

"Ace!"

Ace screamed. 

* * *

"Ace! Dammit, Ace, wake the _fuck_ up!" 

A well landed slap later and Ace was sitting up in his bed, rapidly checking his body. He was in his white t-shirt and pajama shorts. There was no gaping hole, no blood, no creepy Luffy and definitely no magma bastard. His heart beat roughly in his chest and he closed his eyes, taking slow breaths to calm it down. He then sighed and let his head hang.

So, it was just a dream. _Thank GOD._

"Ace, you ass." Ace looked up to see Izo glaring at him, hair tied in a messy bun and a robe pressed tightly around his frame. "What the hell was that all about?"

Ace scratched his head. "Uh.."

Izo sighed with a roll of his eyes. "You were thrashing around, coughing; Hell, we thought you were dying. Honestly, if it kept you still so we could sleep, by all means..."

Ace snorted. Technically, he was dying, but in his dreams. He moved to the edge of his bed, gathering the blankets and pillows that had fallen off due to his flailing. "Sorry for disturbing your precious sleep."

Izo scoffed. "Catching an attitude, huh? Well, you're about to catch the back end of these slippers-"

Thatch suddenly appeared, twirling Izo in his arms before planting a kiss on his forehead. "Give him a break, cutie pie." Izo, huffed, untangled himself from Thatch and moved into the bathroom, mumbling along the way. "Don't mind him," Thatch chuckled. "He can be a real drama queen in the mornings."

"Feels like that all the time." Ace joked. Thatch laughed some more before sitting next to Ace on the bed.

"So? What _was_ that all about?"

Ace shrugged. "Just a weird dream. I hope I didn't disturb you all.." Ace felt a little bad. Was he thrashing that much? He felt frozen in his dream when he saw the hole in his body. Maybe that's just how dreaming works. Tossing and turning in the real world, yet barely able to move in the dream world. 

Thatch crossed his arms. "'Just a weird dream', eh?" He then rubbed his palms on his thighs. "Well, at least you're alright. Thought you had a seizure or something." 

Ace shook his head, standing and stretching. "Nope." He spoke through a yawn. "Just the usual weird dream." Though, it felt too real to just be the usual nightmare. 

Thatch shrugged and got up so Ace could put his bed back in order. "If that's all it is, you won't remember it after a while anyway." And with that, he exited the room.

The room was large. It had to be to house a majority of the commanders. Each bed was specialized for each of them. Designed to be as comfortable as they wanted. They could have built separate rooms for each of them, but they were such a tight knit crew, being in the company of each other was more to their liking. There were empty, furnished rooms that they preferred to use for.. other purposes. 

Ace finished making his bed and went into the bathroom. After doing his business, he washed his hands. As the cool water spread over his fingers, his mind drifted back to the dream. The blood that poured from him like how the faucet sprayed water onto his hands. The more he thought about it, the more the once cool water turned into dark red blood. He blinked rapidly, snatching his hands away from the water. He looked into the mirror, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Splashing his face with the cold water brought him back to his senses. He grabbed his towel off of the rack and dried his face off. It was just a nightmare. How could it affect him this badly? He chose to shove it to the back of his mind, praying that Thatch was right, and that he'd forget it by the end of the day.

He changed clothes, choosing to wear a loose, maroon colored, short sleeved v-neck t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jean shorts. He slipped his feet into some red sneakers. He tied the white shoelaces and headed out of the room, heading downstairs. He wanted to go see Luffy. After waking up from that dream, he wanted to make sure his brother was alright. The dream Luffy turned out to be creepy at the end, but the real Luffy wasn't like that at all. He knew the boy was in school, but maybe he could sneak in around lunch time? There weren't any teachers around to watch the highschoolers and the cafeteria workers wouldn't mind a big brother coming to see his little brother. He stopped by the kitchen to snatch a waffle from a nearby plate before heading to the front door. 

"Hey! Why not just sit down and eat breakfast? Where are you going in such a hurry?" Marco leaned out of the kitchen doorway, holding a fork to his lips as if he had just taken a bite. 

Ace paused for a second. Did he really look like he was hurrying? It was still morning. He'd have to kill at least a couple hours before he could meet with Luffy. So he turned around and headed back to Marco. "Ah, yeah, sorry. Figured I'd meet Luffy today."

"Aw, going to see the little one?" Vista cooed. "How sweet." He leaned back as Haruta half climbed across him and onto the large table to reach for the syrup. 

Ace chose a spot between Namur and Doma. "Yeah, yeah." He grabbed a plate and put the available food on it.

"There's a fair festival coming up," Whitey Bay said, a mug of coffee pressed to her lips. "Maybe ask if he wants to go."

That's right. There was that festival thing going on this weekend. That would be a good enough reason to go see Luffy. Besides, he didn't want to just saying he wanted to see him when it's been half a week since he last saw him. Plus, there was no way he was going to worry him about his dream. He wouldn't tell Sabo either. After that mess with the Navy, his brothers were already on edge. Sending him text messages and if he didn't answer right away, he'd be spammed. Glad to know he's loved so much. He mumbled an agreement with her through bites before leaving the table. 

"Doesn't look like you ate much." Whitebeard appeared in the doorway. Despite the designers making the doorway large enough for all the tall people, he still had to bend just a bit to enter. "I hope you're not getting sick."

Ace smiled. "No, Pops. Just want to get out today. _Enjoy the nature_." He added with mocking tone. 

Whitebeard laughed and patted him on the head. "Well, get on and get out there, boy. Don't get into trouble you can't handle." 

Ace nodded and left the giant house. He stopped after taking a few steps and turned around, walking backwards as he took in the view of the building. His dream came back to him and he remembered the explosion, the rubble, the dripping noise of possible blood. He shook his head again and went towards the garage. He grabbed his skateboard and jumped onto it as he got onto the sidewalk. They'd be fine. They would all be fine. With that in mind, he made for his usual spot in the woods, a few miles away from Luffy's school. He still had a while till lunch period, so he might as well kill time by burning dead leaves. This time, he'd make sure Smoker or any cop couldn't find him. 

* * *

As the day went on, so did the rising heat of the sparks in front of him. He forgot to pocket his lighter so he was stuck making fire the caveman way. He ground two rocks together, watching the sparks hit the pile of leaves and a tiny flame began to form. He was crouched down, watching the fire, mesmerized. To Ace, flames were a beautiful thing. The way they could turn colors depending on the amount of heat given to it. The way it danced in the wind. Yes, it could burn everything to the ground and even kill, but watching a controlled flame like this was entertaining. He continued to grind the rocks together until he heard voices a little distance away. He quickly stomped out the tiny fire, grabbed his skateboard and leaped behind a cluster of bushes. There, he waited, keeping his breaths low and steady.

Two men walked into the clearing Ace had just been crouched in. He recognized them both immediately. Shiryu looked down at the burnt pile of dead leaves while Laffitte scanned the trees as if trying to spot whoever had left this mess. Ace knew they knew it had to have been him. He's the only guy that'd sit there and burn shit in the middle of the woods all day. Ace was glad he forgot to bring his hat, it probably would have stood out in the bushes. He didn't forget his phone or wallet, though. He began to back away as Laffitte turned his back to him, slowly reaching into his pocket for his phone. He had to let the others know that Blackbeard's men were on their territory. The fact that they knew where to find Ace was even more troubling. Had they been watching him or something? He continued to back away until his phone lit up and the ringtone he had set for Sabo blared in the silent woods. Shiryu and Laffitte both turned as one to look at Ace's hiding spot. 

_Shit._

Ace turned around and broke into a full out sprint, the footsteps of the men thundering through the trees behind him. Of all the times his brother could have called him, now was not it. Anyway, why would they even chase him? They'd only get themselves into trouble once he reached town. They were in enemy territory and could be surrounded easily once Ace contacted his crew. Which is why a bullet whizzed by Ace's hand in an attempt to knock the phone out of it. He swerved between the trees, hands shaking as he tried to click on his crew's emergency number. After multiple times, he finally clicked it, watching as it rang while also keeping an eye out for branches in front of him. It would be his luck if he hit something and fell. 

"Hello, Ace?" 

Yes! The call went through despite being in the forest. He put the phone close to his lips as he narrowly missed a bullet to the shoulder. "Guys? Listen," He puffed between breaths. "It's them! Blackbeard's men!"

"What? Ace, kiddo, slow down. What's going on?" Vista's voice was sort of breaking up, but Ace could hear the confused voices of the others. 

"Blackbeard's men!" He repeated, leaping into a roll as Shiryu's blade swung from closeby, nearly lopping his head off. "They're in the forest with me! I'm trying to get away but-"

"Ace, you're breaking up," Marco's voice sounded. 

"What about Blackbeard's men?" Haruta's small voice was heard. He must have grabbed the phone. 

"They're here! Here!" Ace saw the end of the forest and burst through it, rolling sideways onto the street. A few cars honked their horns as their wheels screeched across the ground trying to avoid him. He got up in one swift movement and continued to run, his skateboard getting left behind since it fell from his hands after dodging the sword. "They. Are. On. Our. Turf!" He yelled into the phone, not pausing to catch his breath or even look back. If they went to such lengths to chase him in the forest, they would do so in the open street. His phone beeped, signalling that someone was trying to call while he was already in one. He figured it had to be Sabo, since he hadn't answered the first call. You know, cause he was running for his life. 

He ran between houses, jumped over gates and decided that if he wanted to lose them, going to a highly populated place would work. So, he went straight for Luffy's highschool, since it was nearer. "Look," He spoke to whoever had the phone now. "I'll call you back." He hung up and dialed Sabo. "Hey, bro. What's up?"

"Hey, I was just-.. Ace, what's wrong?" Sabo's tone changed immediately at the sound of Ace's breathlessness. 

"Oh, I just escaped from near death." 

"Ace!"

"Sabo, I'm going to meet Luffy now. I'll tell you all the details later, 'kay?" He hung up before Sabo could even take a breath to reply. The school came into view and Ace crossed the street to get to it, looking both ways before crossing. He didn't want to get hit by a stray bus. That'd be a story for a lifetime. As long as he survived. 

Ace slowed into a quick walk as he entered the school grounds. He took this chance to look behind him and sighed with relief, bending over to calm down. Shiryu and Laffitte were no longer there. They must have went back. He hoped so. He didn't want to leave the school, only to get chased again. _Those assholes better prepare for when Pops finds out about this_ , Ace thought. He took slow breaths to calm his heart and then entered the school building. He put on a smile and headed towards the cafeteria. As soon as he got there, he spotted his little brother immediately. The boy was eating, shoving food down as Usopp was telling one of his tall tales to a group of younger classmates. 

"Luffy!" Eyes turned to look at him and Ace felt a genuine smile move in place of the fake one. 

"Ace!" Luffy swallowed and ran towards him, attaching himself like a sticker to his brother. "What are you doing here? Why are you all sweaty?"

"I wanted to come chat with you, is all," Ace hugged his brother back tightly, Luffy whining that he was getting sweat on him. 

"Did you run here?" Usopp turned to him.

Ace nodded. "Yeah, you can say that." He wasn't about to tell these kids about his near murder. **If** that's what they were there for. They might have tried to capture him. The last time Ace confronted Blackbeard, the man had been brave enough to invite Ace into his crew. He didn't want to see that man ever again, and if he did, he'd try to kill him. It was the least he could to after what he did to Thatch. The poor guy probably had ptsd after that for fuck's sake! 

"Anyway, did you hear about the festival coming up?" Ace figured he'd contact his crew again after lunch period and wait for whoever was coming to get him from the school's campus. He really didn't want to risk meeting those bastards again. Not alone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woke up to a massive headache that only got worse. If the chapter is short, I lost all brain function to keep writing.

_2 days before the festival_

_He pinched the the space between his eyebrows._ He knew this was going to happen the minute he made that phone call, but it couldn't be helped. Crocodile had his plans so at least he wouldn't have to be stuck in that situation for long. He had already made his entrance and introduction, making it _highly known_ that he was here to take on jobs for Kaido. Not to make conversation, not to make friends. Though, it would be wise to stick on the good side of some of these men. Especially Doflamingo. That man was a pain on his own but it would be in everyone's best interests not to get him angry. He was scary enough with all that giggling and smiling. 

_No._ Who Crocodile really had to keep an eye out was that Vergo guy. When he had first met him in the mansion's long hallway, Crocodile had thought him a statue with how still he had been. As he had passed him by, the statue had spoken. 

"Don't think I don't notice you."

Crocodile honestly almost jumped. Choosing instead to freeze before slowly turning around. Vergo had moved, now standing in the middle of the hallway, frowning. "And the statue talks. Kaido sure has as the peculiar men in his ranks."

"Lay off the jokes, _sand man_ ," Crocodile gritted his teeth at the nickname. Vergo had his hands behind his back as he took a couple steps forward. "You're planning something aren't you? Someone like you wouldn't have joined Kaido on a whim like that." 

"Ha, maybe that's exactly what happened," Crocodile couldn't, wouldn't, let this man provoke him. That's probably what he wanted to do. To make him say something he shouldn't have. "Give up a chance to have power in both the underworld and the cities?" He said as he spread his arms out. "No man with ambition would refuse that offer." 

Vergo's frown deepened, his shoulders tensing up. He tilted his head and spoke so softly, Crocodile had to angle his head towards him to hear better. "You really don't seem bothered by it do you?"

"Bothered by what exactly?"

"The fact that you'll be staying in the Donquixote Family quarters. Thought you hated us." Vergo rubbed his chin with a hand in fake thought. 

"Don't get it twisted," Crocodile's tone was hard. "I am not here to entertain you people. It just so happens I've been stationed here."

Vergo smirked. "Doflamingo must be pleased. You'll get to spend so much time together."

Crocodile returned the smile with a mocking tone. "Oh? You'd wish that on me? How sweet of you! I'll take care of him _real good,_ don't you worry." He nearly wheezed a laugh with how quickly Vergo's smirk faded to be replaced with a tightened jaw and a visible vein in his forehead. Crocodile turned around, not worried about Vergo attacking him. He couldn't anyway. "As a matter of fact, I was just on my way to see him. I'll tell him you said hi." Crocodile then waved and continued down the hall. 

Yes, He hated the Donquixote Family. But getting that kind of reaction out of that statue man was _golden._ If they wanted to play this game, give him a controller. He'll show them how it's done. 

He reached the large double doors leading to the main family hall and stopped. He chewed slowly on his cigar, bits of ash spilled onto the floor. He sighed. Well, it couldn't get any worse than this. He shoved one hand in a pocket and opened a door with the other. The hall was pretty well decorated. Pictures of each family member littered the walls. The edges of the walls and doorways were a white-gold. They sort of glittered in the light as he moved forward. Flowers in vases were placed on small glass tables or against walls next to doorways. He doorway led to a family member's room. Each door was decorated to fit the aesthetic of each of them. Some of the doors were opened and Crocodile side-eyed one as he passed. The room was filled with stuffed toys, most of them resembling fish. The inside walls were colored in the design that looked much like a giraffe's skin except for the green in between the spots. The next room was decorated with toys as well, but some were wooden and others stuffed. The walls were a red color with fluffy pink fur along the bottom of the wall. Ok, so there were kids living here. Odd, but whatever. The entire family was off their rockers. 

There was another room that was full of weapons and, were _those bombs?,_ another full of art paintings, and one that was bare except for a couple furniture and a tea set placed on a lone table with a single chair. Crocodile guessed that was Vergo's room. A bland room for a bland guy. He finally reached the end of the hall where a large door stood. Of course, this would be Doflamingo's room, but seeing how no one was in their rooms, was he not here, too? Crocodile decided to knock anyway, taking a couple steps back so if the bird man was there, he wouldn't open the door and be all in his koolaid. There was no sound from the other side, so he exhaled and knocked again, harder this time. The door opened a bit, but Doflamingo's face didn't greet his. 

"Are you the friend he said was coming over?" 

Crocodile looked down and met the eyes of a thin, blonde boy with wide eyes. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts, calf high socks on his feet. Were those horns? "Yeah, his friend." The boy opened the door more and Crocodile stepped in, closing it behind himself.

He looked around. It was a pretty big master bedroom. A large bed in the middle, a wide screen TV against the wall to the left, a tall table with a set of chairs; one large for Doflamingo, a couple more in the size for normal humans. The floors were carpeted, too, mostly around the bed and TV, no carpet around the door or table so he didn't bother taking his shoes off. He wouldn't have anyway. He looked back towards the bed, wondering if it was as soft as it looked when he spotted something. Sitting on the edge of the bed was a doll with green hair wearing a robe with little bear ears and a crown on top. He stared at it for a moment, realizing it was staring right back at him. The boy ran past him and jumped on the bed next to what he thought was a doll but was actually a little girl. Her blue eyes were the same color of the berries she was eating, the blue balls placed on her fingers like a pair of fake nails. She popped one in her mouth, tightly holding onto a small bowl that contained her berries as the boy jostled the bed with his movement. Crocodile chose to sit in a cushioned chair off to the right of the bed. He watched them, the girl offering a berry and the boy opening his mouth to reveal sharp teeth as he accepted the treat. The TV was on, but it was one of those kiddie cartoons. The volume was low so he figured it was just used as background noise to keep them entertained. Crocodile took out his phone to check the time: 11:28 am. Doflamingo must have went out on a job early this morning. Crocodile did wonder why the man would leave kids alone in his room with a food that could stain every fabric from the bed to the door, but that was his business. 

"What's your name?" Crocodile looked up to see both kids staring at him, the bowl of berries forgotten as they got up to take a look at him. The boy pointed to himself. "I'm Dellinger, and this is Sugar." 

The girl blinked. "Is it true you have sand powers? Show us." 

_Who are you to give demands, you little shi-_

"Sand powers? Is that why they call you 'sand man'?" Dellinger grabbed onto one of the armrests, pulling himself up with a grunt. His upper body rested against the armrest, his legs dangling behind him. 

Oh, great. So now even the little squirts knew of his nickname. "My name is Crocodile. **Mr.** Crocodile. I would prefer not to be called by any nicknames." _Unless you want to get punted into next century._ "I do have sand powers." He lifted a hand and let it slowly melt into sand. He watched for their reactions, Dellinger's mouth formed a 'o' of awe, reaching out to touch it. Sugar on the other hand, still stared at him.

"That's lame. Show us something cooler." Was her response. 

Crocodile tightened his jaw, but relaxed. No way was he going to let a little girl rile him up. He thought of something and lifted up his other hand, pointing a finger at Sugar and rotating it in a circle. She continued to stare until her eyes widened. Her body began to levitate as sand formed around her waist. It swirled with the motion of his finger and he bit his lip to hide a smirk as she was carried into the air. Dellinger hopped off the armrest.

"Pick me up! I want to fly, too!" He bounced up and down, his feet not making a sound on the carpeted floor.

Crocodile obliged, reforming the hand that had melted and twirling it the same way he had done to Sugar. Dellinger giggled with excitement as he floated above the ground. Crocodile felt the corner of his lips turn up but swiftly hid it behind a twist of his cigar. It's not like he liked the kids, this was just for him to prove to the little girl that his powers were, in fact, _very_ cool. Hell, maybe cooler than Doflamingo's. Satisfied, he placed the children back to the floor, crossing one leg in front of the other. Sugar patted her dress down and looked back up at him. 

"Cool." Was all she said before heading back to her bowl of snacks. Dellinger watched her go back, before turning back to Crocodile, the smile back on his face.

"That was fun!" He climbed back on to the armrest, letting his legs swing as they hung off. "Are you close friends with Doffy?"

_Doffy?_ "No, just an.. acquaintance, really." He didn't plan on ever getting 'close' with that man. Never. 

Dellinger just blinked at him. "But Doffy-"

"Is home!" 

Crocodile turned to face the door just as it opened. Doflamingo waltzed right in, Baby5 close behind him as she tried to stab him with knife that seemed to be coming out of her arm. _What the hell?_

"Why," She tried to stab him again, but he easily moved out of the way. "Do you always," She kicked at him. "Kill every man I fall in love with?!" 

_Eh, he what now?_

Doflamingo laughed, grabbed her and dumping her onto the bed before turning to Crocodile. "Ah, my favorite friend!" He walked over towards him, grabbing his big chair and placing it in front of Crocodile. "How are you this fine afternoon?"

Crocodile noticed a small night stand beside him with an ashtray- _had that always been there?_ \- and put out his cigar. A glass of whiskey next to the ashtray. "I'm just dandy. Now, why did you call me here?"

Doflamingo copied Crocodile's sitting position, and hand rubbing his chin. "Oh, well, ya see," His tone was light. "There's a festival coming up, and I wanted to ask you to join me."

Crocodile almost said no as soon as the first part of that sentence was out of Doflamingo's mouth, but he held his tongue. There's more to just going to a festival with this bird, wasn't there? It had to be a part of a task given to him. As much as Crocodile disliked the guy, he'd have to join him anyway. There were bound to be other gangs there probably trying to do the same thing as they would, and it wouldn't be a festival without a bit of _fun,_ no? "Yeah, whatever. Just give me the details on the mission."

"Alrighty, kids, **out**." Sugar got up from the floor, having moved their when Baby5 and Dellinger began jumping on the bed; Baby5 in an attempt to poke holes in the mattress and Dellinger just bounced a long with her. All three exited the room, the door closing behind them. Once they had left, Doflamingo continued. "It's simple. Really. We just need to retrieve a shipment of SMILE. Maybe some weapons, too, if they got delivered at the same time. Thing is," He leaned back in the chair. "We've got some Government trouble. Apparently, they caught one of Kaido's lackeys and he told them all the details. Even the fine print in between." Doflamingo laughed. "I wouldn't have let him live after that, I'm sure the Government thought the same.

"Anyway, the retrieval will be during the festival, where it'll be least likely for the Government to be watching us. They'll be too busy trying to stop fights from breaking out." His smile grew. "Though, wouldn't that be entertaining."

Crocodile grunted in agreement. OK. So it was just retrieving some drugs. No big deal.

"Oh, by the way," Doflamingo added. "We're not the only ones receiving goods. Word has it that the Germa's got some dealings down in the underground. Something about their technology. Big Mom wants in on it, so she's gonna marry one of her sons off to one of Judge's."

The Germa were thought to be a fictional family that were viewed as heroes for defeating terrible people and saving kingdoms. They were real alright. And they weren't exactly 'saving' anything. Sanji, one of those Straw Hat kids, is one of them. Though, he had a habit of refusing to be referred to as a Vinsmoke. "So, we retrieve some drugs, avoid Big Mom and Judge, don't get caught by the cops and all while a festival is going on."

"Yep." 

Fair enough. There were only two days left to prepare for the mission. All they'd need was some guns, smoke bombs, and a few other things to get in and out in a timely order. Crocodile picked up the glass of whiskey and took a drink, pinky up. He was more than ready for a job like this. He sort of expected to go through some kind of gang skirmish beforehand but this was OK. Slow and steady wins the race. "If that's all, I'll be leaving then."

He got up to leave but Doflamingo began to speak again. "I see you had fun with the kids." Crocodile looked back at him, the man sitting comfortably in his chair, that same stupid grin on his face. 

"I could have been about to drown them in sand when you came in."

"Oh, sure. They looked pretty content despite having their lives nearly ended."

Crocodile huffed a laugh, shaking his head as he walked towards the door. Maybe Sugar wouldn't be a brat to him anymore now that he's 'proven' himself. Dellinger was alright. Honestly, Crocodile liked him better. He seemed more his age instead of quiet and mature like Sugar. Not that he was going to be hanging around them all the time. This was just a one time thing to let them know who he was and who not to mess with.

He followed the hallway down to another hallway, noticing only a few rooms dotted the hall. His was the third door down. The name plate had his name engraved on it and he opened it. The room was decorated with Egyptian antiques, vases, night stands with the legs being sculptures of Anubis. His bed was big, too, though a tab bit smaller than Doflamingo's. The blankets were black with designs of Egyptian lettering on it and when he touched them, they were velvety soft. The curtains above his windows were a deep brown, blocking out most of the sunlight and leaving the room an amber shade. There were a couple of bookcases along the wall. A TV hoisted up onto the wall, the stand beneath it decorated with black cats on either side. A table to the left with a cushioned chair much like the one he had sat in when he occupied Doflamingo's room. A black, glass table in front of it. An ashtray on top and a bottle of whiskey beside it, a small glass cup beside the bottle. Despite the abundance of Egyptian items, the room was rather homely. He actually quite liked it. There was a small counter next to the door, a golden key on top. Good. He can keep the little snots from ganging up in his room like they did to Doflamingo's.

He sat in the cushioned chair and pulled out his phone, dialing a number. Now that he was established here as an official member of Kaido's gang, he had to let his own group of men know. Starting with his right hand man. 

"Daz? I'm in."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: Added new ships and tags
> 
> A certain someone has given me quite the idea.. Will it be what you expected? Stay tuned. ;)

_1 day before the festival_

_Mihawk sighed for what felt like the 70th time as he sat_ with arms folded and one leg crossed over the other. 

"I didn't expect him to be so damn tough." Shanks groaned, wincing as he adjusted his position in the makeshift hospital bed. 

After fighting against the Big Mom gang, the Red Hair troupe had gotten their base back, but not without getting in quite enough good hits before retreating. Some broken bones and the weight of exhaustion finally bearing down on them. Honestly, Shanks was the worse out of them all; narrowly missing a kick that would have rearranged his spinal cord. Though, he did lose his prosthetic arm and break the other in the process. So now, he was rendered incapacitated, armless so to speak. A broken nose and a couple fractures along his legs but to Mihawk, he was fine. He'll live. 

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Shanks forced a pout, wincing a little from a bruised jaw. "I had to get my bases back!" He made his eyes big as he added. "I could have died, ya know."

Mihawk supressed the urge to roll his eyes. "I never said you shouldn't have gone. It was your fight. None of my business."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?!"

"What ever do you mean?"

Shanks groaned again, but out of annoyance. He sounded like a teenager, whining like that. "If you're gonna be mean, you can leave."

Mihawk began to get up. "Seeing as you're still alive, I shall take my lea-"

Shanks' tone went serious. "By the way, have you heard anything about Blackbeard?"

He sat back down. "Perhaps." Shanks narrowed his eyes and Mihawk continued. "Looks like they tried to raid Whitebeard's territory. Nothing as serious as what happened with you, of course."

Shanks turned his head away with a relieved sigh. "Good. That means he's ok." 

Mihawk lifted a sculptured brow before realizing. "Oh, you were worried about the boy."

"Yeah. Don't want anything to happen to him. Not yet anyway." Shanks replied. 

"You treat him like a son." 

"Oh, and you don't do the same to Zoro?" 

Mihawk crossed his arms tighter. "He is just a pupil of mine. Needs a bit more discipline before he can be any son of mine." 

Shanks snorted. "Mhm, yet you still went to the parent-teacher conferences during his school years."

"That was simply because I wanted to make sure he wasn't slacking in his studies. I refuse to train a school flunkie."

"What about the times you took him to his appointments?"

"He didn't have a car then."

"His tournaments?"

"I wanted to see how much of my lessons he paid attention to. I wanted to see him win. And he did, mind you." 

Shanks couldn't hold back the bout of loud laughter. "You're a funny man, Mihawk! I'm sure Zoro has you labeled as his dad on his contact sheets."

Mihawk let out a hard exhale through his nose. Is that why the school constantly informed him of Zoro's constant fighting with other students? Makes sense. Not that he'd admit it. "He doesn't need me anymore. He's in college now. He's not a little kid anymore."

Shanks smiled wistfully. "You may not admit it, but he'll always be you're little kid." He angled his head to the TV, a news channel playing. "Watching them grow up really makes you think. Was I a good role model for him? Did I teach him enough? It lingers in the back your mind every time you run into them or see them on the news-" He went silent, staring wide eyed at the screen.

Mihawk lifted his brow again and turned towards the TV. _Oh._

There, on the TV screen was none other than the Straw Hats. Causing mayhem yet again. Luffy had thrown a left hook into a group of men that were dressed like chess pieces, blowing them all away. He then leaped up and swung a leg around, sweeping another group off their feet. The cameraman then panned the camera around to point at a certain green haired swordsman. Zoro angled the blades in his hands and bit down on the one in his mouth. He said something, which was obviously mumbled with a sword clenched between his teeth, before shooting forward, his blades slicing a large man with an awkward glowing red hairdo, felling him instantly. Then there was Nami, then Usopp, and then the rest of the Straw Hats. Mihawk rubbed his chin. Those enemies looked oddly familiar.

There was the sound of frantic rustling and Mihawk turned back to the bed to see Shanks fall out of it, letting out a cry of pain as he thumped onto his broken arm. "I hope you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

Shanks glared up at him. "If I can't go, I have to at least get someone to stop them!" His eyes widened and even sparkled as they blinked up at Mihawk. "Hey, maybe you-"

"No."

"Oh, come _on._ "

" _NO."_

Shanks managed to prop himself up, though it looked like it hurt like hell just to breathe in his condition. At least his ribs weren't broken... _unless._ Mihawk stood up and took the one stride to reach Shanks. He then grabbed him under the armpits and hoisted him back onto the bed, the red headed man inhaling sharply. Once on the bed he rocked left to right, teeth gritted. "That....hurt."

"I know." _Just wanted to test something._ "But I said what I said. I'm not going."

"But you gotta."

"Shanks-"

"Look!" They both looked back towards the TV as a man that consisted of 99.9% legs came into view. A creamy substance began to pool from the floor, levitating until it became the shape of a donut. Then, he went into a fighting stance and swung a fist. When he did that, a giant black fist came out of the center of the donut. Luffy went flying. Sanji and Zoro ran up to fight him, but he easily dodged their attacks as if he anticipated it before they swung a leg or a sword. He created more donuts and more fists came out. The two men watching both narrowed their eyes in equal cringe as Zoro got sent right into the camera, destroying it. The screen was blank until it changed into a female reporter. Her voice was tight with worry as she discussed what had happened with her partner. 

Mihawk kept his eyes narrowed. Why was there a news reporter at the scene of the fight? Did they want to die? Or...

"I think they wanted us to see this and I'm sure the other gangs saw it, too."

Yeah, OK. That was bad. "But should I really interfere? I am a member of the-"

"Warlords, yeah, I get it." Shanks snapped. "Fine, I'll get someone else. I'm sure Boa Hancock would just _love_ to help Luffy. Cause you know, she cares for him."

"And I care about Zoro!" Mihawk retorted, snapping his mouth shut, but it was too late. He sighed, flinging his arms up in defeat. "Fine." He got up, a long, reprimanding paragraph already forming at the tip of his tongue to give them after he 'rescued' them. 

Shanks voice sounded behind him. "Thanks, I owe you one!"

_To hell with you._

* * *

Mihawk swung his sword in a wide arc, a greenish slash sweeping the enemies aside. He was angry. Rightfully so. Having to interfere in a fight between two groups that had nothing, _absolutely nothing,_ to do with him. He hoped that was the only camera that had been recording. It would put him in a very hard spot if he got caught on camera helping the Straw Hats. But, apparently, it would appear he didn't care about his pupil if he sat back and watched. Oh yeah, Shanks _definitely_ owed him. Big time. 

He ducked from a swipe by an axe wielding genie. As he stepped from side to side, the axe not even ruffling the plume on his hat. He blinked and let his pupils dilate, following the smoke trail that connected the genie to whoever was controlling it. Of to the side, half hidden behind a crumbled building stood a tall man rubbing his stomach rather quickly, a hole in the middle where the smoke came from. Mihawk leaped back, scanning the area with quick eyes, gauging the distance between himself and his enemy. He lifted his sword and swung a quick, but powerful downward slash, watching it as it destroyed the building and the man behind it. The genie growled as it began to fade away. Mihawk had a feeling he didn't exactly kill the guy, but at least he'd be out for the rest of the fight. How ever long that took..

It didn't take long. Most of the enemy fighters had already fled or had been knocked out. Of course, the donut making guy was the last one standing. Mihawk narrowed his eyes upon seeing him. The guy fought Shanks, but barely looked to have any wounds on him except for a bandage around his chest. Well, maybe they healed at a faster rate. He wouldn't put it past them since their mom is basically indestructible. Facing the tall man was Zoro and Luffy; both had blood covering them as if they took a dip in a blood filled pool. Cuts and gashes left their bodies looking like it had been mauled by savage dogs. Mihawk stood on the sidelines, arms crossed. They didn't know he was here. 

Yet.

Maybe they'd pull through like they always do. They _usually_ do. But right now, as a flurry of donut punches threw Luffy into a building that looked oddly made out of gingerbread, it didn't look like they would. The guy put Shanks in a temporary hospital. If they did make it, they'd have to have numerous amounts of surgery just to let oxygen in again. Mihawk sighed and took a step forward, hand coming up to grip his blade handle as Zoro was smashed to the ground by a familiar giant fist but with spikes. Was this guy using Luffy's moves? 

As Mihawk stepped out, Luffy popped out of the rubble like a tiny frog. Blood dripped down his forehead and he wiped at it to keep it from getting into his eyes. Mihawk didn't have to look at him to know the kid had recognized him. 

"Huh? Hawk guy!?" 

On the ground, Zoro slowly turned his head in jerking motions. His one available eye widening as it met Mihawk's golden eyes. Mihawk didn't speak, neither did Zoro. The shared look was all that was needed. Mihawk whipped the blade from behind him and began his attack. He swung the blade sideways, so the man would have to leap to avoid it, and once he was in the air...

Unfortunately, that wouldn't be happening. The man's eyes flashed before he ducked, bending backwards in a way that would have any normal human sprawled on their backs. The slash came and went as if it were a limbo pole. The man slowly stood back to full height. He was not of the giant race, but he sure was a tall monster of a man. The amount of legs on him seemed almost unnatural. Mihawk swung a diagonal slash, mostly as a test to figure out if his thoughts were right. And just like he thought, the man dodged before the wind even hit him. So the guy had some kind of foresight. Alright. _Let's play a game._

Mihawk lunged forward, bringing his sword down in quick succession. Yet again, the man dodged each one, though he began to use an arm covered in haki to defend against some of the hits. How far into the future could this man see? Mihawk wasn't sure, but he would find an opening eventually. He always did. As they were fighting, the large scarf around the man's face loosened and, for a split second, the man glanced down at it, eyebrows raising. Mihawk only had a few seconds to think. The scarf seemed to be hiding something. Whatever it was, it was important enough that it couldn't be shown to anyone since the man seemed to back off as he tried to tighten it around his neck. Mihawk took that split second of vulnerability to pull his small knife out and toss it at his opponent. It lodged into a spot where the bandage had been covering and the man visibly keeled over but not for long. Since it had stabbed into an area that was already hurt, the man was unable to just yeet the knife out like other devil fruit users would have done by now. So he yanked it out, a spurt of blood following right after. He tossed it back and Mihawk caught it by the handle, the blade pointed at his chest.

The man had a hand on his scarf as he looked at Mihawk more with curiosity than anger. "Dracule Mihawk."

"Yes. That is I. You must be Charlotte Katakuri. Second son of Big Mom." Mihawk sheathed both his blade and knife, crossing his arms. 

Karakuri said nothing for a moment, his eyes staring down at him as red as his hair. His arms crossed to match Mihawk's. "You do not wish to fight me anymore?"

Mihawk glanced at Zoro, who had gotten up but was leaning against Sanji, who was grumbling about something Mihawk didn't want to care about. Luffy had regained his energy, glaring at Katakuri with those big black eyes. 

"Hey, you're still fighting me!" 

_Shanks, don't be mad at me for this. You owed me anyway._ Mihawk walked up behind Luffy and jabbed him on the head, knocking the little guy out. Katakuri shifted on one foot, but Mihawk could guess he saw it coming. He tossed the kid towards the rest of the Straw Hats, who had been gradually gathering behind him as he fought Katakuri. "Get out of here. All of you. Your fight is over." He glanced at Zoro from the corner of his eye. "For today, at least." 

"You want to retreat." It was a statement. "Will we meet again, Hawk-eye?"

Mihawk tipped his hat. "I'm doubtful of that happening. But," He looked back at the retreating Straw Hats. "I'm sure you'll be seeing him again."

Despite wearing the giant scarf, his voice was crystal clear. "Then this is farewell." They both turned to leave. 

Mihawk did wonder how the fight would have went if it were more serious. Would he come out on top? Or would this man made of mochi best him? Not that he would let that happen. There was only one man that Mihawk wanted to surpass him. That man was currently glaring back at him as he followed after the Straw Hats.

"If there's something you wish to say, Roronoa," Mihawk's tone was sharp like a Hawk's talons. "Then I suggest you state your piece before I do."

There was a hush that fell as Zoro unhooked himself from using Sanji as a leverage. "Why are you here? You have no business interfering-"

"As I told a certain Red Hair," Mihawk interrupted. "But I was promptly urged to rescue your sorry hides before you got yourselves killed."

"I could have beat him if you didn't jump in!" Somehow, Luffy was awake. That kid was full of surprises. 

Mihawk held up a finger. "Direct your anger elsewhere, child. You should be thankful I showed up. It could have been him, but he was too busy being bedridden."

"Huh?" Luffy tilted his head like a confused pup. "He? Oh! Do you mean Shanks?! How is he? He's alive, right? You went to see him?"

His finger was still up, but he put it down since Luffy didn't care for respecting elders at the moment. "Yes. He's fine. Fine enough to actually _beg_ me to save you." He didn't actually beg, but saying it that way shushed the boy. Mihawk turned back to Zoro. " _You_ are the ones who had no business fighting Big Mom's gang. What was the reason for this one? The same as when you tried to fight Blackbeard's gang? Because you 'didn't like them'?" His eyes scanned the group of 9. Some of them may be around his age, but they were still at fault for going along with it. They could have stayed home or found a way to stop these boneheads. "This isn't some kind of video game. You should know better at your ages." Franky rubbed the back of his head, Brook 'yohoho'd' in shame, but Robin simply smiled. Of course, they knew the risks, so he wasn't too disappointed in them. It was the younger ones. the ones still in _high-school_ , need I remind you. They had their heads down, shamed. Well, they had it coming. 

Mihawk took a minute to just breathe. He then closed his eyes. "Zoro, I wish to speak to you. _Alone_." He emphasized. 

The 8 Straw Hats began to leave, Chopper already spraying disinfectant on Usopp and Nami's cuts. Sanji looked back, sighed and left with the others. Now, it was only Mihawk and Zoro. Zoro was sat against a piece of rubble, foot tapping as one arm pressed against a wound that still trickled a bit of blood. Good. Let him be in pain for a bit longer. They stayed silent for a moment longer until Zoro sighed, running a hand through his short hair. 

"Did he really send you here?"

Mihawk's eye twitched. "He didn't _send_ me anywhere. I also wanted to stop you from getting murdered. Have you forgotten you're supposed to-"

"Surpass you? Yeah, how can I do that when you won't let me battle against people like Katakuri?" Zoro growled.

"Because you're not ready for that stage yet." 

"And when will I be? When you're old and gray? When you can't even lift your sword anymore?"

"Why is it so hard to fight enemies close to your strength first before shooting off to fight people who could kill you without a moment to waste?"

"It's easier to get stronger that way!"

"Is it? Is it really?" Mihawk lifted his nose in the air to look down on Zoro. "Getting cut down till you're holding on my a hair, then stand back up on your feet after the enemy gives a powerful speech? This isn't an anime! You can't get by with the power of your friends alone."

"You've got me all wrong! You're not seeing things from my point of view! You never have!" Zoro yelled, immediately wincing as he jerked his wound. 

"You really think that?" Mihawk's tone dropped dangerously low. "You really think I've always been the strongest? That I've never had a weak moment in my life? Never been afraid or sad or anything? You think I'm an emotionless husk? Some kind of monotone monster just sitting here waiting for you to overcome me?" Mihawk felt his hands clench over his biceps and he turned around. "Listen, Zoro. I've been exactly where you are now. Frustrated. Annoyed. Tired of feeling like I was being looked down on. Felt like it was impossible to reach my goals. But here I am," He turned back around and spread his arms out so Zoro could get a look of him. "The strongest swordsman in the world." 

Zoro calmed down. He nodded his head before hanging it low. "Sorry... Wasn't thinking..."

"No, you weren't," Mihawk sighed and looked down the brick road towards the entrance to the park area they were in. The Straw Hats were waiting there. He could see their silhouettes. "Come on, your friends are waiting." He gestured to follow him and Zoro got up, still dejected. Mihawk cast him a sideways glance and sighed again. 

"You know," Zoro spoke up. "You sure do sigh a lot. Old hittin' ya, old man?" He lifted his head and a smirk played on the edges of his lips. 

Mihawk held back another sigh. "You sure do get yourself into trouble a lot. Still a child, Roronoa?" 

They shared a huff of laughter. Zoro paused as if to speak again. Mihawk glanced at him, waiting. "You know," He hesitated again. "I hope you're not bothered by.. You know.."

"No, I don't think I know," Mihawk put a hand to his chin, mocking confusion. 

Zoro snorted again before getting serious. "People, my friends, too, call you my dad."

Mihawk continued walking, his stride not broken from the revelation. "Have I ever said I was bothered by it?" 

"No, but-"

"Then, I'm not bothered." Mihawk then let a smile tug the corner of his lips up. "I'm not bothered about having a troublesome son, either." He didn't look at Zoro, but he could feel the sudden happiness that radiated out of him. "I mean, You _did_ write me down as your father on all of your information, yes?"

Zoro stuttered. "I-, yeah- well, sure-, I guess, I did." 

Mihawk let his shoulders bounce in a short chuckle. Well, the day ended on a note far different than he might have thought it would go.

Shanks still owed him, though. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this chapter feel longer to you, or no? Maybe the same as the past ones? huh...


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reading all your comments makes me happy knowing how much you all love the story. I'm proud that you think I'm doing a good job. That really motivates me to keep writing. Thank you ~
> 
> The new One Piece movie is centered around a Pirate Festival, and my story is about to have a festival of its own. I swear, this is just a coincidence. I just watched the new filler episode and nearly fell out of my seat when I realized this. :')

_The morning of the Festival_

**8:00am**

_Reiju sipped slowly on a cup of warm tea._ She was currently listening to her brothers chat among each other in their overly large dining room. Breakfast had been served, but Niji and Yonji had been too giddy to actually eat. And by 'giddy' I mean 'can't stop giggling' type of 'giddy'. Reiju lowered her cup as Ichiji sighed, tossing his phone onto the table and crossing his arms.

"Be quiet," He spoke with a hard tone. "Don't you know how annoying you two are when you do that?"

Niji and Yonji glanced at each other before breaking out into loud bursts of laughter. "I can't _believe_ this!" Niji wheezed out.

"Getting married to a Charlotte! A man no less," Yonji held his stomach with one hand as he continued to laugh.

Reiju put on her fake smile she always used around them. It was actually quite hard to be loving towards such emotionless monsters as they were. "I'm sure Father has a reason for this."

"Why couldn't he marry you off? Or send for that failure?" Ichiji grabbed his mug of coffee, the steam billowing onto his sunglasses. 

"Eh, Sanji would have fucked it up." Niji said, stabbing his fork into a slice of ham. 

"He fucks everything up," Yonji shoveled his breakfast into his mouth. Unfortunately, he didn't choke. 

Reiju tried her best not to let annoyance show on her face as she lifted her tea cup back to her lips. Sanji was the most human out of all of them. He didn't go around murdering people from different cities or countries just because their dad said so. He was kind, loving and most definitely **_not a failure._** Honestly, Reiju would have said he were a masterpiece. After their mother died from an unknown illness, Reiju had helped the boy escape because if he had stayed, he would have most certainly died or had been tested on by those strange doctors in the labs which would have turned him into the same monster as her brothers. She couldn't let that happen. She knew he was safe and OK as long as he stayed far away from them. 

"Oh well," Niji snickered. "Looks like we gotta let go of our dear brother."

A vein popped on Ichiji's forehead. He was the one that almost _never_ showed emotion. Maybe an occasional smile after a day of slaughtering a CEO's entire family, burning down all of their valuables and hunting down their relatives, completely destroying the bloodline. But other than that, he was always wearing a straight face or a frown. Despite his softer voice, he was the most dangerous of them all. 

"Maybe we won't have to," Yonji said after chugging down his drink. "Maybe Father will have Ichiji kill his new husband after the wedding?"

_What good will that do us? It'll only anger Big Mom and who said it would be that easy to kill off one of her sons?_ Reiju wished she could turn off her ears, but it seems Ichiji was thinking the same thing.

"You know damn well what Big Mom is capable of," He growled. "We're not even sure which son I'm ..." His mouth twisted into a look of disgust. He didn't even want to say the word. 

Niji and Yonji looked at each other again before erupting into more laughter. Oh no, there wasn't anything wrong with getting together with the same gender, they've had their fair share of both genders. But _marriage_? That sort of thing wasn't put in their programming. They had been born for the sole purpose of following Father's orders and killing anyone that stood in their way. That was all there was to it. But Reiju did pause in her tea sipping. Why didn't Father call for Sanji? She was glad he didn't, but it would have made sense to marry off 'the failure' instead of one of his prized possessions. She figured the Straw Hats wouldn't have let him take Sanji anyway. Besides, based on the message he had sent her, he was happily in a relationship already. 

Reiju was glad that she had found a way to keep in contact with Sanji. Social media was a blessing in its own way. At first, he was a little edgy about speaking to her after so many years, but he did sort of owe her after she saved his life and helped him escape. Sanji had even dared to ask Reiju to leave Father and find a place near him to live. She still had her emotions, but she couldn't just up and leave. She liked being a member of royalty. She liked being a commander of an army of soldiers. Besides, because of the modifications done to her, she couldn't exactly disobey Father. That wasn't in _her_ 'programming'. Though, she usually wasn't the one sent out to do most of the killings. Maybe an assassination by poisoning, but that's about it. 

You know, for men with zero emotion under their belts, they sure did laugh a whole lot. Niji and Yonji causing the air to vibrate with their loud shouts of laughing. Yonji slapped a hand against the table, Reiju's barely touched plate shifted from the force. Good thing she was already holding her cup, or the poor thing would have probably shattered. Suddenly, it grew quiet in the room, their Father's presence being felt before he came into the dining room. 

The doors opened and Judge's giant form passed through, wearing a casual attire of just a white shirt-blouse, the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of black slacks. Black dress shoes on his feet. Reiju closed her eyes as if meditating as he walked past their table and sat at his own spot, high above them in a large chair, a table placed in front of him. A couple maids came out from a side door and placed his breakfast platter into the table. they took a couple steps back, bowed, and then went to stand nearby, ready to take his dishes when he was done. 

"I'm sure I heard laughter in here a moment ago.." Judge muttered, placing a handkerchief around his neck.

Reiju opened her eyes, watching her brothers. Niji and Yonji had a frown on their face, but were staring at Ichiji. The first son not making any attempt to respond, putting his mug back on the table. Yonji frowned even more but Niji seemed to be the only one to speak first. 

"So, who's the lucky Charlotte?"

Yonji and Niji both began to giggle, their shoulders shaking as Ichiji exhaled sharply out of his nose. Trust Niji to always get someone riled up. Judge leaned back into his chair for a moment.

"What better way to tie our families together than to marry my first son, with her's?"

Reiju frowned. That could only mean-

"Perospero?! Seriously?!" Niji barked, bursting into another bout of laughter. 

Yonji's grin was big. "That thin candy bastard?" 

Ichiji still said nothing. Reiju could only assume the thoughts going around in his head. Not like Judge could have married off Niji or Yonji. They seemed much more hazardous. They probably would have started some sort of fight causing the marriage to be off and a death warrant would be out for them all. If she thought about it, Perospero didn't seem so bad. If something went down, he seemed easier to defeat than the other sons. Especially the second son. _Charlotte Katakuri._ Not that he would have agreed to marry. Definitely not to a Vinsmoke. 

"Do not forget that this is just a way to achieve more power," Judge's voice rumbled down from his post. "Just think of this marriage as a way to get closer to our goals."

**_Your_** _goals, Father._ Reiju thought, putting her now empty tea cup onto the table. Servants began to take their dishes, signalling the end of their breakfast time. Reiju glanced at the silver watch on her slender wrist. The time read 8:30am. Thirty minutes of listening to her brother's banter. She delicately stood from the table, adjusting her shirt-dress, a black zero stamped on the left shoulder sleeve. Her long legs took her out of the dining room before her brothers. She didn't want to get caught up in whatever conversation they were having as they followed behind her. 

Today was the festival. It was only morning, but she figured Big Mom would be a punctual person, especially for a meeting like this. It _was_ her idea to do a marriage deal. Reiju didn't like the Charlottes at all. She could care less about any of this, but she had to pretend to care. For today at least. She entered her room and closed the door softly behind her. She made her way to her changing room, a set of clothes already set out for her by her maids. A loose, light pink, short sleeved dress with designed frills on the lower half that resembled a six. A frilled collar at the top. Pale pink jewelry was set out on her dresser. There was a maid patiently waiting to do her _makeup_ at her dresser. Reiju smiled as she sat down. At least she'd look gorgeous for the event, even if it took place underground. They wouldn't be down there for long anyway. Just a place to meet up and head to a tea party before joining the festival. Once her makeup was done, a pastel pink look, she donned her outfit and jewelry. There was a white diamond purse sitting on the counter by the door so she could pick it up on her way out. She didn't need to check inside of it to know her raid suit was in there. But before she headed towards the living room, where her brothers probably were, she waited for the maid to leave, the smile still on her face. She waited for the door to close before taking her cell phone out of the pocket of her shirt-dress from this morning. She turned the screen on and decided to take a moment to check social media.

When she clicked on to Twitter, there were all sorts of tweets from various people all excited for the festival. She wasn't exactly following anyone except maybe her father, but he was never really on any sort of social media. Parents and their lack of knowledge for cellular technology and its social medias. She scrolled down a bit, her mind zoning out as she giggled at a couple memes and liked a few tweets of women she knew that were showing off their nice outfits for today. Reiju decided she'd join in on the fun. She stood up and went to her giant mirror which had been set into the wall next to her wardrobe. She turned on the camera and did a simple pose with one hand holding the edge of her dress slightly out to enhance the look of flow-y frills as the sun filled her room and brightened her pink look. She snapped a picture. Then, she stood in another pose, hand out by her side and turned up in a princess-y way. One leg slightly bent, the camera hiding a bit of her face, but she still smiled as she took the picture. Satisfied, she sat back down at her desk, and posted the pictures to Twitter and Instagram. After a moment of receiving likes and comments, a knock sounded at her door. 

"Oi, Reiju?" Yonji knocked again. "Time to go." 

Reiju frowned and looked into her desk mirror one last time. Hopefully, today is full of success. _Hopefully.._ She got up and headed for her door, grabbing her purse and putting her phone inside. She stopped at her door, put on her usual cool smile and opened the door.

* * *

_Afternoon of the festival_

**12:00pm**

_X Drake checked himself in the body length mirror that leaned against his closet._ He adjusted the v-neck area to his dark blue t-shirt. He had a pair of form fitting, faded, blue jeans. A pair of jean colored toms were set up by the door. He'd put them on when it was time to leave. Which was any moment now.

Apoo didn't seem too down about getting rejected by Hawkins. Bonney was kind enough to go with him, but Kidd and Killer were tagging along, too. Apparently, Killer had gotten himself a 'boy toy' as Apoo had put it. Drake had never met the guy, but Law was friends with him so he could only assume he was a decent person. Honestly, it wasn't that surprising that Killer would be the first one in the house to find a partner. He was the only one that wasn't annoying, loud, rude, always busy or an introvert. 

Bonney was currently chilling on Hawkins bed, staring at her phone while chewing loudly on a piece of bubblegum. One hand twirled in her hair and she popped a gun bubble as she rolled to lay on her side. She was still wearing her pajamas which consisted of a grey tank top and pink shorts. "Gosh, can you _believe_ this?" She flipped her phone around to show Drake something and he walked over to take a look. "Looks like there's gonna be some fun tonight." 

The phone screen showed an article that came out an hour ago about the appearance of gang members at the festival. Drake held back a groan. Really? Today was supposed to be a _special_ day! With a _special_ someone! He hoped they didn't do anything stupid and get him called in to work before the night was over. It was his friggin' off day for hell's sake. But, he would still carry his pager and gun with him.... just in case. "Yeah... fun." He went back to the mirror, putting a bit of chapstick on, _just in case,_ and smoothing his hair with some gel. 

Hawkins stepped out of the bathroom and Drake got a good look at his outfit. He was wearing a collared, white, button up shirt with long sleeves. It was nearly see through; the first two buttons unbuttoned, showing his sharp collar bones. He paired it with tight fitting dark jeans, a pair of white converses already on. His hair had been combed through and it appeared to shine. Bonney squealed upon seeing him and hopped off his bed to check him out. 

"Well, don't you look dashing!" She smiled brightly. "Oh! I should probably go get dressed. You know how we ladies like to take our time." And with that, she winked at them both before whisking out of the room, her footsteps heavy as she went downstairs. 

Drake breathed out a laugh. Trust Bonney to be the energy they needed. Especially in a house full of men. Testosterone levels be damned. A little femininity never hurt. He grabbed a belt and slipped it through the belt loops of his jeans. "I guess we wait for her, huh?" He hooked his belt and looked up, mouth freezing open. 

Hawkins was staring at him. Well, not into his eyes, but you get the idea. His blue eyes trailed around Drake's form before landing on his shoes. He blinked and their eyes met. Both of them immediately looked away, reaching for anything to be preoccupied with; Hawkins grabbed his phone and headed towards the door. 

"I'll wait downstairs," He mumbled before leaving. He came back a moment later to grab a jacket. Even though it was hot now, it was probably going to cool off once it became night. 

Drake watched him leave again and sighed. How in the world were they going to last the whole day together if they couldn't even maintain eye contact like they used to? Ever since Drake asked him out to the festival, Hawkins had been avoiding him. At first, Drake noticed Hawkins would wake up a little earlier than usual, and leave to his classes before Drake even got downstairs. They still had dinner together, but it lasted a couple minutes before it got too awkward to even eat anymore. Drake sat at the edge of his bed and but his hands over his face. He prayed to every god out there that nothing would disturb them on this day. This would be a great time to get to know each other more before making anymore advances. 

Right! Talk to Hawkins, get him to open up a little, and even share a moment underneath the stars! Perfect! If this were a fucking romance drama. Relationships are hard. 

"Drake!" Bonney's voice called from downstairs. "Come on!"

Drake quickly pocketed his phone, grabbed his pager and gun, shoved his feet into his shoes, turned the lights off and hopped a few stairs to the living room. When he got into the room, Bonney was wearing a tank-top and shorts, a loose brown jacket hanging off her shoulders. On her feet were a pair of brown sandals. Sunglasses were perched on her head. "Glad you could make it," Drake rolled his eyes. "Anyway, we're gonna carpool together with Kidd and Killer. Apoo is driving but I'm sure we're gonna crash eventually." She joked. "You're a cop, so you can just arrest him if he's being," She leaned forward and whispered. " _illegal._ "

"Oh, fuck you," Apoo came out of his room, wearing a similar outfit.

She smirked. "Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you?"

  
"Is that an Invitation?"

"Ugh, just go start the van and turn the ac on!" She tossed the keys to him, and exited the front door, exclaiming something about the heat outside. 

"Kidd! Killer!" Bonney was looking at her phone as she called out for them. "Stop fucking around and get out here!"

"I'm in the kitchen, smart ass." Kidd's voice growled, the table chair screeching as he got up. 

Killer said something, but it was muffled by the closed door. It opened after a heartbeat and he walked about, a young man beside him. Boy, was he _skinny._ This must be the guy Drake heard about. When they got to the living room, the man half hid behind Killer. Oh, so he was shy, too? 

Bonney saw him and leaned over to get a view of him. "Hey, there," She sounded like she was talking to a child. "Hi. My name's Bonney. If this guy gives you any problems, let me know. Or this guy," She pointed at Drake. "He's a cop." Drake gave a small wave and smile. She went over to Hawkins and smoothed his hair down with a hand. "This is Hawkins. He's really quiet but he's a decent guy. You want to curse someone's entire family? Just ask this guy." 

"Bonney," Hawkins glared at her, then they both started to laugh; Hawkins was a quiet chuckle, but Drake couldn't help but smile along. He'd never really seen Hawkins laugh before. It was a nice sound. _I guess they're closer than I thought._

"Anyway, What's you're name, cutie pie?" She sat on the couch. 

The guy seemed to relax, coming out from behind Killer. "They call me Penguin."

_Penguin?_ What was up with people and their weird names these days? Before anyone could reply, there was a honk outside and everyone got up. They all exited the building, Kidd being the last to leave so he had to lock the door. The van was roomy with plenty of seats for each person. Drake sat in the back with Hawkins. As they were putting their seat-belts on, their hands touched and Hawkins yanked back like he had been burned. Drake felt a little hurt, but he cleared his throat and proceeded to stare out of the window until they got to their destination. 

It didn't take long. The university wasn't too far from downtown. They parked a bit away from the festivities. Walking in the heat didn't sound so bad anymore now that the wind was blowing. They all filed out of the car and began the trek towards an area with a couple stands. Drake took a breath and walked over to Hawkins, the two walking side by side in silence. Drake opened his mouth, since he usually started the conversations anyway, but Hawkins beat him to the punch. 

"So you brought your gun," Hawkins voice was quiet, yet a little raised above the noise of the festival. 

"Yeah," Drake gestured vaguely. "I, I just want to keep you guys safe now that, uh, gang members are participating." He noticed Hawkins avoid eye contact at the mention of gang members. 

"I figured," He crossed his arms. "I bet you'll get called away before the day's over." 

_Was.. Was Hawkins **upset** about the thought of me leaving him alone? _Drake tried to hide the smile. "It's my day off. If anything, they'll call my superiors or something."

"Yeah," Apoo broke into their conversation, putting an arm around the both of them. "Wouldn't want to miss out on post festival sex, huh?"

"Stop harassing people, you asshat!" Bonney yelled at him. "Ugh, I should have went with some of my girlfriends instead of you." Apoo quickly let go of them and moved to catch up to Bonney as she began to walk faster.

"Hey, don't be like that, baby girl," 

"Then buy me a snack!"

"I'll buy you the whole damn stand if you want,"

"Don't spoil me too much. You'll regret it, long arms." 

Drake snorted. What a perfect couple. He looked over to Hawkins to see if he found it funny too, but the blonde had slowed down, his gaze off to their right. Drake followed his line of sight until it fell upon a very muscular looking man. Broad shoulders wider than Garp's. He stared at him, wondering what felt so off about him. Oh yeah, the odd mask that covered his jaw and large protruding horns sprouted out of it, much like a mammoth's. His blonde hair was braided and fell to his belt. He looked _really mean._ Drake narrowed his eyes, hands instinctively reaching for his gun and pager. This guy reeked of bad news. He was definitely a gang member, but who's gang was he from again? He peered back at Hawkins, his friend's grip had tightened around himself and he had averted his eyes, keeping them straight in front of himself. Drake narrowed his eyes. 

"Hey, you OK?" Drake tried to meet Hawkins' eyes but the man refused.

"Yeah." He said in a hurried tone. 

And Drake left it at that. He didn't know who the guy was and why he made Hawkins react like that, but he wouldn't let that guy get close, not on his watch. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't wearing a watch at all. Not even a necklace. Oh well. Killer, Kidd, and Penguin had separated from them as soon as they got out of the vehicle. Apoo and Bonney had headed towards the nearest food truck. Trust Bonney to be hungry all the time. He kept close to Hawkins as they merged with other locals. So close, in fact, that he kept bumping arms with the blonde. 

"Is there a reason you're so close to me?" Hawkins' voice was close to his ear and he nearly shivered.

"Uh, no. I just," Drake fumbled for an answer before just taking a chance. "You're not going to tell me who that guy was, huh." 

Hawkins brushed his hair out of his face, the wind blowing stronger. "What guy?"

_Time to play dumb, is it? Well, two can play at this game.._ "I guess he was just a creeper." He shoved his hands in his pocket. "Maybe I'll go talk to him, since I'm, ya know, a cop-"

"No!" Hawkins grabbed him by the arm. He then blinked and released him. Drake stopped walking and faced him with a frown. "Yeah," Hawkins stared straight into his eyes. "Just a creeper."

Drake knew he was hiding something, but now was not the time to ruin today with a petty argument. They were basically out on a date. Drake wasn't in the mood to spoil what little connection they had together. So, he kept his mouth shut and simple kept the blonde company as they stopped at stands. One stand was a face painting station and Drake coaxed Hawkins to try it. A little girl painted a very pretty butterfly on his cheek. Drake sat down for his turn and couldn't help but keel over in laughter as she painted his face with whiskers, circles over his eyes, and a star on his forehead. He turned to Hawkins and was pleased when the man turned away in an attempt to hide his laugh. Next, they were spraying each other with water guns from a station a block down. It helped wash off the silly face paint. They sat on the sidewalk for a moment to dry, Hawkins wringing his hair out. Drake watched him, noticing a droplet of water slide across his neck and into the dip in his collar bone. The sunlight illuminated his pale skin and accentuated his blue eyes. Drake blinked quickly as he averted his eyes before Hawkins noticed. He pointed to a jumpy house, and the two entered despite Hawkins' protests that it was 'only for little kids'. 

_Fuck them kids._

They jumped along with the giggle boys and girls beside them. One of the kids grabbed on to Drake and he fell, nearly shooting a group of kids into orbit. A burst of a laugh sounded and Drake lifted his head to see Hawkins smiling down at him. Drake managed to get out of the pile of children and jumped towards Hawkins with the intent to bring him down. The blonde gasped and jumped away, but not before Drake got a hold of one lanky arm. The two fell, causing another set of kids to go flying, loud giggles emanating from every end of the blow up house.

And that's how Drake and Hawkins ended up staring into each other's eyes, both breathing hard from the exertion of keeping their balance while jumping. It felt like the sounds from around them was blurring into background buzz as Drake could feel himself being pulled into Hawkins ocean blue eyes. Their faces getting closer and closer and closer...

"Ew! Are you gonna kiss each other?" 

Drake and Hawkins snapped out of it, pulling apart as they tried to stand once more in the bouncy house. Drake looked down to see a little girl in a blue jean dress and pink hair staring back up at him. She giggled and pointed at the two of them. "You were gonna kiss!" 

Drake just gave a forced chuckle, waving her off as he went to exit the jump house, Hawkins already slipping out of the opening. He exited and glanced around for the blonde. Hawkins was already putting his shoes back on. Drake quickly found his shoes and slipped them on as Hawkins walked off. Confused, Drake caught up to him in a few strong strides. "Hey, what's up? What's wrong?"

"This!" Hawkins gestured between them. "I.. _We.._ Can't do this." He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. 

Drake felt his chest tighten. "What.. What does that mean? Why can't we? Am I moving too fast for you?" Drake didn't want their happy moments to end. Not like this. This was too soon. 

"No! No.. It's just," Hawkins breathing was fast and shallow for a minute before he took a breath. "Listen, I, I need to tell you something." 

Drake could already feel his mind going into flips. What could be so bad that they couldn't be together? Was Hawkins straight? Was that it? It didn't seem like it a minute ago. Drake pulled Hawkins softly by the arm to a secluded alley away from onlookers. "Hawkins, what?"

Hawkins took another breath. Then another. "Drake, I'm so sorry-"

"And _I'm_ sorry for breaking up your little chat," A round man appeared in the opening of the alley, blocking the sunlight. "But I think it's time to go now, Hawkins."

Drake peered at the man, but the shadows from the dark alley and the bright light of the sun was blocking his view of the man's face. "Who are you?"

The man walked further into the alley and Drake could see his face clearly now. It couldn't get any worse than this. "Queen," Drake growled out. He knew this man from one of the profiles Garp had given him a few weeks ago after an incident that left 20 people dead came up in a report. This was definitely not the time to be fighting with Kaido's crew. Especially alone like he was. He wasn't even in uniform. _It was his off day for fuck's sake!_ He reached for his gun, but a shooting pain in his back sent him to one knee. He looked up at Hawkins who was holding a voodoo doll that looked suspiciously like Drake tightly between his fingers. He squeezed it again and Drake keeled over. It felt like his insides were being crushed. He felt a kick to his chin and he fell backwards. Now, on his back, he could taste blood and he turned his head to spit it out onto the ground. 

Hawkins' figure walked slowly towards him. "I didn't want to do this."

Drake tried to sit up, but a black boot pressed down on his chest. He coughed, shaking his head to clear his vision and look up at Hawkins. "If I didn't ask you to come out today, was there ever a chance you would have trusted me enough to tell me?"

Hawkins shook his head, eyes never leaving Drake's. "You're a cop. If I told you, you would have arrested me. Interrogated me." His tone went dark. " _Tortured me._ Until I told you everything you needed to know."

"So, I guess you're not sorry, then?" The boot pressed down onto his chest and he found it hard to breathe. "Did you even.." _Did you even like me? Maybe just a little bit?_ He couldn't finish that thought, using his energy to try and pry the foot off of him as he gasped for breath. 

Hawkins didn't respond, but another voice did. It was deeper than Queen's. Another enemy. "You really think Hawkins would have any feelings for anyone, nonetheless a _cop_? You're delusional." 

Drake couldn't see who had spoken but if he didn't get this boot off of him real soon, he'd be going home with a few cracked ribs. He could feel the pressure rising and he gritted his teeth, a pained growl escaping him. Before he could come to terms with the fact that he was probably going to be killed, a voice spoke behind them. 

"Drake? Hey what the fuck is going on?" Kidd's voice was hard as he saw the scene before him. 

The men and Hawkins looked towards the sound. As they did so, the boot relaxed a little, but it was just enough for Drake to shove it off of him. He got up and slid between them, backing up until he stood by Kidd's side. He held onto his chest with one hand and wiped the blood from his jaw with the other. He glared hard at them before he stared at Hawkins. 

"The fuck is going on, Drake?!" Kidd repeated, going into a fighting stance beside him. 

"I don't know," Drake said savagely. "I don't know." _I don't want to know. Not anymore._

Hawkins put the voodoo doll into a pocket. He stared right back at Drake until he finally heaved a sigh and turned his back to him. "Let's go."

The man who had put a boot on Drake's chest was covered in black clothing, but Drake could take a wild guess as to who it was. "So, you're just going to let him go? Wouldn't it be beneficial for Kaido to have a man working with the cops?"

"Oh, so that's what this is," Drake couldn't hide the scorn in his voice. "You wanted to recruit me into your little game, eh?" He was so mad. No, he was upset. Upset that the one person he actually had feelings for turned out to be his enemy and that said enemy would have captured him and forced him to do their dirty work. No, not today. Not in this story. He wouldn't allow it. 

Hawkins didn't flinch, but he did look back at Drake. "That's exactly it. Maybe you do possess brains." He turned back around and started to walk further into the alley, the shadows beginning to swallow him up. "Let's go before any more show up." 

Queen scoffed. "Don't think you've seen the last of us, X. Drake," Drake curled his lip at the use of his full name. "We're not done having fun just yet."

Drake didn't care. He really couldn't give a shit at this point. He watched them leave, fading into black silhouettes as they went deeper into the alley. He looked back, making sure nobody saw anything, before rubbing his chin again. Damn, that was going to bruise. Everything was just one big fucking bruise. He left the alley, and Kidd, poor Kidd, behind, making his way towards an empty spot on the sidewalk, sitting down with a heavy sigh. Kidd followed after him, glancing back at the alley as if they would pop out again and demand another fight. 

"Drake, what the absolute **fuck** was that!" He pointed back towards the alley. "Hawkins just.. left with them! Was he always apart of a gang? Kaido's gang? Did you know?"

"No! I didn't know!" Drake shouted. He hand his hands through his hair before lowering his voice. "He was going to tell me right before they showed up. Why would he think I would just arrest him on the spot?"

Kidd stood awkwardly beside him. "Look, man, that's some tough shit. But if he's really with Kaido's gang," He shook his head. "Listen man, I know you're already fucked up about Hawkins but someone else might be with him, too."

Drake paused. He slowly looked up at Kidd before a voice sounded nearby. 

"Ayy! Ya'll listen up! I'm finna drop a sick beat that'll have all you cunts _dripping wet_ before the night begins!" 

Drake looked over towards a radio stand and there was Apoo, hyping up a group of rowdy looking high schoolers. Drake looked back at Kidd, who glanced at him for a second before looking away. "Kidd," His voice was silent. "Is everyone in the frat house-"

"Nah, man! If I wanted to be in a fucking gang, I'd start my own," Kidd growled out. He shuffled from one foot to the other before sitting down. "Look, I tried to join that fucker's gang, but he wouldn't let me! Killer ain't in it either. And you know damn well Bonney wouldn't join him." 

_So Apoo and Hawkins, huh?_ Drake could feel a cold blanket covering him. This whole time they knew he was a cop and they played him for a god damn fool. Fine, if they wanted to play that game, he'd let them. 

And he was going to win. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cue Spirit and Rain's little love song for Hawkins and Drake*
> 
> ugh, there was so much pink in this chapter. whew...


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, a sex scene. 
> 
> Ratings have changed, new tags and new archive warnings added. It's only gonna get bad from here on out. Be prepared. I'm not afraid to write some pretty messed up shit. 
> 
> Also, I'm juggling between trying to get better at drawing, and writing this story, so if chapter updates seem a little off schedule, I'm sorry.

_Evening of the festival_

**5:30pm**

_"I'm not going to ask what happened," Law said,_ using a cotton swab to dab peroxide onto Drake's lip. 

"Thanks. I'd prefer not to explain." Drake said, wincing as the liquid bubbled up on the cut. "I don't mean to interrupt whatever you were doing."

Law shrugged. It was no problem for him. It gave him something to do. He had been manning a stand that was littered with medical supplies and pamphlets about studying health sciences. A couple nurses from his college class had come to lend a hand, so he was able to take a moment and help Drake out. He had been applying a band-aid to a young teen's knee after he had scraped it falling from his bike when Drake suddenly appeared, looking pretty damn ruffled. Law didn't ask any questions. He didn't need to. Drake was a cop and cops do things that require them to get down and dirty when the time called for it. But..

"You're undercover today, huh?" Law pressed a bandage against the large boot shaped bruise on his chest.

Drake hissed, sucking in a breath. "No, I was off today."

_Was?_ Law raised his brows, but didn't press any further. He said he wasn't going to ask what happened so he should just have to take care of the man and pray that the rest of the day only included a couple cuts and scrapes. He knew gang members were around here. He'd seen a mean looking bunch an hour ago; They looked like surfer dudes, swimwear outfits and all. Sharp teeth when they opened their mouths to speak, dark eyes, and _webbed hands?_ He also saw a man in a white suit with a top hat appear in two places at once. Or so he thought. Government goons with those ugly ass masks. They all looked the same. Though, one of them didn't wear a mask. His goatee was a little weird and there was a white pigeon perched on his shoulder, but Law knew this man meant serious business. Thankfully, they were too busy doing nobody knows what to interact with any of the nearby stands. Hell, if Law didn't have to be out here, he wouldn't. The heat felt too hot on his skin. 

Drake winced again as the bandage was firmly wrapped around his chest. "Thanks, man. Really appreciate it."

Law leaned back, tossing the used cotton swab into the trash and sanitizing his hands. "Take some Tylenol when you get the chance. It'll hurt a like a bitch in the morning, but that's normal. You'll live. As long as you don't get into any more fights tonight. You know how drunk people get." 

"I've experienced plenty of those types," Drake said in a quiet tone as he slowly got up, stretching then wincing once again. "Wouldn't mind getting extra PTO rounding up some ruffians."

Law hummed in acknowledgment. Despite the joking tone, Drake seemed off. But yet again, Law wasn't going to pry into that. After all his patients from the hospital telling him their life stories, he wasn't too keen to sit through another story time. He waved at the man as he turned to leave, then got up from the sidewalk and went back to the medical stand. He sighed as he sat in his chair, the awning creating a cool cover from the sun. 

"Too hot for this," Law turned to see Marco adjusted himself in his seat, reclining more. 

Another nurse laughed. "Heard some kids say that they think the Government controls the weather and they're making it hot to keep them from doing stupid shit." She shook her head in disbelief.

Marco's eyebrows raised and he ran a hand down his face before flipping a hand towards a couple men in white suits standing like mannequins. "Tell those dudes in suits if they can turn the rain machine on. I've had just about enough."

Law snorted. They probably wouldn't even respond to anyone talking to them. They were like robots programmed to only see enemies and nobody else. Law grabbed a pamphlet and started to fan himself when a boy ran up to the stand. Law did a double take as he recognized who it was, the pamphlet dropping to his lap. He sat up straighter in his seat, preparing his brain to handle the conversation that was about to happen.

"Luffy-"

"Hey, Traffy!" Luffy came around the stand, smiling from ear to ear. He looked over at Marco, who lazily waved at him. "And phoenix guy, too!"

" _Marco_." Marco huffed, leaning his head back on the chair. His hands clasped together and placed on his stomach in the usual 'nap in a chair' position.

Law crossed one leg over the other. "Where's the rest of your crew? You didn't ditch them, did you?" 

Luffy shook his head, straw hat sliding down. He used one hand to place it back on his head before shifting the table's contents over so he could sit on the edge of the table. "No. I'm supposed to be with Robin and Franky because we got in trouble with Mihawk and then I got yelled at by Shanks so now I'm grounded, but he let me come to the festival as long as I stayed with an adult, and Robin and Franky and Brook are adults, but Brook went with Usopp but Ace and Sabo are adults too, so I went with them instead and-"

Law closed his eyes and held up a hand. "Wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You got in trouble with Mihawk," He held up his hand to stop Luffy from interrupting. "Tell me about it later. Got yelled at by Shanks. Grounded, but got to come to this festival. You're supposed to be with Franky and Robin, but you're not with them because you wanted to be with Ace and Sabo, but," He held up his index finger to stop Luffy again. "But, as far as I can see, you're alone."

Luffy scratched an arm. "Yeah, I-"

"Luffy!" 

Law leaned back with a smirk on his face as Sabo appeared, looking quite exasperated. "There's one of them."

Sabo was breathing hard, as if he had been running. "Luffy! You can't just run off like that!"

"Why not! I'm not exactly a kid anymore," Luffy said as he sat with legs crossed on the table, hands gripped onto his toes and eyes big. He sure looked like a kid.

"You're _grounded!_ " Sabo rebuked. "Do you really want that to be extended? And what are you doing on the table? Get off from there." He glanced at Law as he shooed his brother from the table. "I am so sorry. He can be a real pain in the ass." He paused, then, with a devious smile, added. "But you would know that already."

Law returned the smile with a deeper smirk of his own. There wasn't really anything between them, as far as he knew, but Law and Luffy did spend a good bit of time together, once upon a time. He had to admit: Luffy was a cute guy. Childish, but cute. A senior in high school, but still looked like he was barely a sophomore. Must be quite nice to look young all the time. He was about to respond when Ace casually walked up to the stand. He peered at Marco, still dozing in his chair, before winking at Law. 

Law knew what was going to happen, but it was still funny as Ace twisted the poor guy's nips. Marco's head shot up as he yelped in pain. Ace took a step back, holding his stomach as he laughed. Marco rubbed his eyes and glared at him. 

"Fucking asshole," He muttered as he rubbed his chest. Ace walked back over to him and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Yeah, yeah-yoi."

"You must be so damn bored to be napping on the job," Ace leaned against the table, watching as Sabo put Luffy in a headlock. 

"Too damn hot to be out here," Marco got up, stretching. "The least the teacher could have done was give us a fan."

Ace gestured towards Marco's and Law's nurse outfits. "I'd figured wearing those clothes would keep you cool." 

Law crossed his arms. "Doesn't matter what you wear out in this heat."

"Like sitting in a damn bonfire," Marco back hugged Ace, the latter leaning back to get another kiss. 

Law huffed a laugh, shaking his head at the lovey dovey couple before his attention went towards a stand where Kidd was standing half hidden behind the back drop. Their eyes met, the red head shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels before turning around to leave. Law snorted and got up.

"Give me a minute," He said, patting Marco on the back to let him know. He skirted around the throngs of people as he stepped onto the sidewalk where he last saw Kidd.

He saw the man seated against the wall, one leg bent to rest an arm on his knee. He was wearing a blank, form fitting tank top, blue jeans and a pair of timberland boots on his feet. His bomber jacket being used as a cushion as he sat against the brick building. A cigarette held tightly between his lips. He went over to him and sat down. Kidd offered him a cigarette and he declined. They sat for a minute, the sun hidden behind the building behind them, giving them shade from the heat. Kidd took a long drag from the cigarette before taking it from his mouth, tilting his head to blow the smoke upwards. 

Law waited. He figured something must be up since Kidd didn't just waltz right up to his stand and demand to speak to him. He pulled his knees up, placing his arms on them while leaning his head back against the building. The brick was cool against his head and he welcomed it. Kidd took a couple more drags before putting the cigarette out. He took out his phone, messed with it for a minute before laying it face down in his lap. 

"How you feel about gang members living in the same house?" 

Law narrowed his eyes. What kind of question was that? "Thought you gave up trying to get in with the 'big boys'."

"I did." Kidd growled. "I ain't trying to follow those bitches anymore." 

Law blinked. "So, what are you trying to tell me?"

Kidd sighed and looked away. "Damn emo kid's in Kaido's gang." He scratched an ear. "Heard some fighting in an alley and got there in time to see Drake getting his ass stomped on." The bruise _did_ resemble a boot. "Come to find out the damn cop's catching feelings for that twat. Dude's probably hiding so many secrets, he probably hides them from himself." 

That explains the down look on Drake's face. Poor guy. Love is tough. The world isn't doing it any favors either. "Glad to know. At least I won't be too surprised when one of them comes into the ER on a stretcher." 

Kidd raised a brow at the poor joke, but shook his head. "Anyway, that noodle armed fucker is in on it, too," Kidd flipped his phone in his hand. "Damn bitch thinks we don't know. Fucker needs to learn to cover his tracks." 

"So you followed him," Law snatched up the bottle of water by Kidd's waist and took a drink. 

"Nah, one of my friends noticed it," Kidd stretched his legs out, before getting up. 

Law stood up beside him. He grabbed the jacket. "Thanks for telling me, though I doubt I can really do anything. I've got my own people to tend to, being a doctor and all." He handed back the jacket, patting Kidd's chest. 

"What? Not gonna pay me? I just gave you some information," Kidd looked at him as he started to leave.

Law laughed, turning back and checking his watch. **6:45pm.** "My stand duties are over in 20 minutes." He stood close to Kidd, their faces inches apart. "If you're not off starting fights-"

"No promises."

"-Then meet me by my car." Law finished with a devilish smirk. He turned back around and started making his way back to the medical stand, while Kidd called back behind him. 

"The pay better be damn good!" 

And good it will be. 

* * *

The car rocked slightly from side to side as moans drifted from inside. Kidd growled as he plowed into Law, the latter holding onto him tightly. 

"Sorta was hoping," Kidd panted between thrusts. "I'd get real money. Not," _Pant,_ "Some ass."

Law adjusted his position enough to flip them over. Now that he was on top, he looked down at Kidd. "Aw, you don't want it anymore?" He pretended to sound hurt as he slowly rolled his hips. They'd been going at it for nearly an hour. 2 rounds of sex down. 

Kidd growled. His hands snapped up and gripped Law's waist, thumbs leaving indents in his skin. "Don't fucking tease me." He tightened his grip, holding Law still as he snapped his hips upward. 

"Ah!" Law cried out, placing his hands on Kidd's thighs. 

It had been a long, _long_ time since the two had an intimate moment like this. Law had recently started staying over at the Hospital more often, only coming back to the college house to wash clothes. Unfortunately, Kidd was never around when he dropped by. He was either at school or off doing only he knows. Kidd flipped them around, on top once again. His hips moving faster as he got closer to his climax. Law clawed at his back, moans becoming higher pitched as the knot in his stomach intensified. His legs wrapped around Kidd's hips urging him to move faster. Kidd nibbled on Law's neck, his bites getting harder. Law threw his head back, body trembling as he came. His cum leaving sticky trails on their stomachs. Kidd came soon after, his hips bucking into Law with wild abandon. Law kept his hold on Kidd's waist, moaning in satisfaction when he felt the hot fluid fill him up. Law closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the high. It had gotten darker as they fucked, so when Law opened his eyes, he looked up into dark amber. Kidd was watching him, looking from his eyes, to his jaw, to his chest where a strip of cum splattered on to it from the last two rounds. His eyes trailed back up to Law's before he leaned down and brought their lips together. 

Law could feel Kidd's teeth graze his own before his tongue entered. Law let him have control. After 3 rounds of car sex, he was finally exhausted. He didn't even have the strength to find the rag he kept back there specifically for this. Kidd leaned back after a moment, catching his breath before sitting properly in the seat. Law sat up as he pulled out a blunt, pressing a button to roll down the window near him to let the smoke out. His car wasn't about to be hot boxed. He had parked the car away from the festivities and right under a tree with slightly lowered branches that blocked the street lamp from showing what was underneath. The perfect spot to get dicked down after a boring day of nothing but heat. 

"Got any other plans tonight?" Kidd said, blunt clasped between his lips making his words sound a little slurred. 

Law leaned his head against the glass of the car window. He had turned the ac on once he got off work so they wouldn't pass out from the car being too hot. He turned one of the air vents towards himself, enjoying the cool air. "Not really. Kinda want to sleep now."

Kidd nodded slowly. He reached for his pants, putting them on before slinging his tank top over his shoulder. "Might go to the night club. Night's still young." He looked at Law with a suggestive gleam to his eyes. 

Law shrugged. "I've got an extra pair of clothes around here somewhere." He was tired, but maybe a few minutes with a few drinks might wake him up.They got dressed, Law turning the ac off, snatching the keys out of the ignition. They got out and Law locked the car. It would be his luck if his car got vandalized. Good thing he never leaves anything too important for robbers to take.

They walked in silence next to each other, Law now wearing a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt, the bomber jacket around his waist just in case he needed it for later. Kidd still had his tank top on his shoulder, but as they got closer to the club building, he put out his blunt and slipped it on in one swift movement. The guard standing at the door gave them a nod as they pushed open the doors. Music blared loudly and Law recognized the song "Bad Guy". The beat felt like it was pounding through his blood, his head throbbing with each beat. It was the good kind of bumping. The kind people get lost in on a good night, especially today. A Friday full of festival activities and now a late night club jig. Kidd looked back at Law before making his way through the crowd, making a path for him through the bodies that were grinding against one another with the beat of the music. The reached the bar and sat down on the high seats. Kidd ordered a couple shots which they shared.

Suddenly, a loud voice came over the speakers.

"Alright, party people!" The crowd cheered and Law turned around in his seat to see Apoo standing at the DJ booth. "Who's ready to start the weekend wet and wild?!" The crowd cheered again and Apoo started another song. It was a dubstep mixture of various popular songs. The floor felt like it was shaking with how hyped up the people were as they all bounced in sync to the beat.

Law spotted Bonney swaying her body against a pole near the DJ booth, a couple other girls beside her. He recognized a few other people in the crowd; He saw people from various gangs all bopping together as one. Music could tie even the worst enemies together. He even laid eyes upon a couple cops and marines. He heard a crash to his left and turned to see a blue skinned man with booze dripping down his body baring his teeth at a booth table a few feet away. He whipped around, pushing people out of the way as he disappeared towards the bathrooms. Law looked back to see what kind of person would want to start a fight in such a united club. He turned back around as fast as he could, bunching up his shoulders before relaxing with a jerk of his head. 

Just his fucking luck.

The god damned man he wished he could forget existed sat wide spread at the head of the booth table. Law took another shot, hoping with all the will power he possessed that they hadn't made eye contact. Not that he couldn't know anyway since the man always wore those damned sun shades.

"Huh? Do my eyes deceive me?" A voice sounded on the other side of him at the bar. Law shut his eyes tightly before looking down at the bar table. "Well, I'll be damned! Is that you, Law?"

Law took a breath and looked up. Doflamingo was grinning down at him in that familiar creepy way. He hated it so fucking much. That last time he'd seen the man, He had been taking a nightly walk to ease his mind from all the studying he's had to do when Doflamingo practically materialized from the Earth itself. Law's fight or flight instincts had kicked in, mentally punching himself when he realized he had forgotten his usual switchblade back at the house. Thankfully, Aokiji had been there, walking with him that night, to help get the man off his case. Despite his initial annoyance, Law felt glad that he had agreed for the ice man to tag along. He didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if he hadn't been there. But here, even in the middle of a crowded club, with the only other person there with him glaring pure hate at the man, Law didn't feel as safe as he wished. There might be tons of people who would witness whatever Doflamingo might do, but it's not like they could stop him. The man was a very powerful figure above and underground. The few law enforcement Law saw didn't look like they'd be experienced enough to be of any help. 

"Hey, buddy," Kidd growled, standing up to step beside Law's seat. "I don't think he asked you to come over here, so would you kindly _fuck right off?_ " 

Law didn't look up but spoke to Kidd. "Let's just leave. I'm tired anyway." He began to get up, but long fingers wrapped around a shoulder.

"Aw, leaving so soon?" Doflamingo's smile seemed to grow. He looked like a monster from a horror film. "You've barely been here for five minutes!" Out of the corner of Law's eye, men from the booth began to get up.

"Didn't I tell you to-" Kidd began, but Law cut him off, subtly stepping on his boot. 

"Fine." Law looked Doflamingo up and down, pretending to check him out as a forced smirk formed on his lips. "Let's dance." As he turned he shared a look with Kidd, hoping the man would get the memo and play along.

Kidd stared at him for a moment before looking away, rubbing his chin. "Yeah.. You go do that." Law didn't like the sound of his tone, but he watched Kidd as he headed off into the crowd.

He saw Kidd approach a man who turned around to reveal it was Killer. Hopefully, Kidd could inform his friend of the current situation. There was no way Law was going to escape Doflamingo unless something grabbed his attention long enough for him to slip past. Which was a _very_ slim chance. Law held in a sigh and turned back to the literal devil himself. The same fake smirk still plastered on his face as he led Doflamingo onto the dance floor. The man chuckled the whole way until they reached the center. People bumped slightly into them which, to Law's growing discomfort, made them get closer together. The music bumped even more to the point of having his body now disgustingly pressed against the other man's. He looked up, squinting at the strobe lights glowing and flashing from the ceiling. His heart damn near dropped out of his ass. Doflamingo was looking down at him, his smile gone. The music seemed to slow down, the people around them looked as if they were moving in slow motion unbeknownst to the terror spreading in Law's body, as Doflamingo's hands came up to rest on Law's hips; Law feeling his throat tighten. This was bad. Beyond bad. 

What a way to start the weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terrible at writing pornographic scenes. If you've read my 'Relax, OK?' story, that took me days to write that sex scene. 
> 
> Prayers for Law. 
> 
> Next chapter will be a 'back in time' chapter to view the Vinsmoke/Charlotte meeting that happened around the afternoon.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I wrote these characters' personalities as closely to the canon as possible. Though, writing Niji and Yonji as assholes should be easy enough. 
> 
> Does anyone play One Piece Treasure Cruise? I've been spamming the Germa 66 event and also got lucky in the sugofest and pulled all the vinsmoke siblings. I'll be super evolving them later, too.

_Back in time - Afternoon of the Festival_

_Location: Underground_

**_12:00pm_ **

_Katakuri sat at the big, rounded, overly decorated table with one leg crossed over the other_. They were inside one of Mama's special dining rooms in her section of the underground. It was decorated with white, silk drapes that framed the large doorways. There were decorative flowers lined along the walls and atop the table. Some of the flowers had souls, bobbing from side to side as they sang a song about romance. His arms were crossed over his chest as animated objects hopped around, offering tea and snacks to the other participants. Two tea kettles hopped up to him, both asking if he wanted green tea or regular tea, the latter being chosen. He waved off the animated desserts as they approached him. He wasn't hungry, but even if he was, he never ate in the presence of others. Katakuri wished this meeting was swift. He could care less about these Germa royals. He'd rather sit in his base all day doing literally nothing than to be a part of this nonsense. He doubted Judge would really give up his first son that easily. But he did wonder why Mama didn't give up one of her lesser children in place of Perospero. As far as he knew, yes, his brother had been single for a rather long time, but to be tied to a Germa? He remembered Perospero pleading with Mama not to appoint him as a groom when Mama had first brought it up. She had called for her oldest children into her throne room to announce her plans.

_"Why don't we just wait and strike them when the time's right-perorin?" His older brother had suggested. "It'll be a whole lot easier to nab their technology than doing..." He gestured vaguely. "This.."_

_Mama had only laughed, her smile big and eyes dark. "Ma~ma, Ma~ma, are you that afraid of them?"_

_"No, Mama!" Perospero frowned. "I'm just saying we don't necessarily need to use marriage to bring our families together. You could have just created an alliance, you know," He had mumbled that last part._

_Mama had leaned over in her giant chair. "Ah? So, you don't like your match? I thought he was rather handsome! Nyahaha!"_

_Perospero looked exhausted. "Mama, please," He pleaded. "There's no telling what they'll do behind closed doors."_

_Compote, the eldest daughter, had sympathized with Perospero. "I know how you feel, but just know that they're at a disadvantage here. You have all your brothers and sisters ready to defend you if they wish to hurt you."_

_Brulee had nodded. "I'll be watching through the mirrors, so you have nothing to worry about, Big Bro Pero."_

_Everyone else had shared their agreement. Perospero had finally conceded, but as the meeting dispersed, his eyes were dark.  
_

Katakuri couldn't help but to share the same thoughts as his brother. He wouldn't put it past Judge to try and pull tricks out of his ass to deceive the Charlotte family. His older brother had been assigned to sit next to his future partner; the Germa prince sharing a similar frown on his face. This little tea party they were having was going as planned. Big Mom was sharing a conversation with Judge, the two laughing along to whatever joke she had come up with. But it felt oddly quiet despite their loud laughter. The Germa siblings were silent, sitting perfectly still. Almost like robots, only moving when the tea kettles asked if they wanted more tea, or when the desserts happily yelled to be eaten. For a moment, it irked Katakuri. He had enough siblings as it was, but adding a group of genetically enhanced superhumans with zero emotion to the mix? Technically, they'd fit right in with all the different variations of half-human Charlotte children. The only difference would be that they were step siblings. Not that Katakuri cared about that particular thing, but the Germa weren't exactly the type anyone would want to have as family. Katakuri had learned that they went as far as to beating their own brother half to death because he wasn't enhanced like they were. Katakuri may not know all of his siblings, or even see them at all, but he'd never wish to harm them.. Unless Mama gave the order to.

The laughter subsided and Judge glanced over at Perospero. He raised his glass of sparkling giraffe juice. "I do apologize for the lack of conversation from prince Ichiji. He's always been a quiet one."

"Ah," Perospero said weakly, raising his glass. The liquid contents swirled inside as his hand shook. He cleared his throat as Mama glanced his way. "It is no bother to me-perorin. Just being in the presence of, uh," He forced a tight smile. "My future.. _partner_ is enjoyable on its own."

Ichiji frowned even more, lips nearly twisting into a sneer. But it wasn't him that made a sound. His brothers, Niji and Yonji, looked ready to explode with laughter. Their shoulders shaking as they tried their best to stay silent. Lips twitching as they tried to stop from grinning. Reiju had a smile on her face, but it looked more like she were wearing a mask. Her eyes closed as she sipped her tea, the smile on her lips looked as if it were painted on. Mama had looked at them, her smile dropping a little. Katakuri watched her as she seemed to be studying the princes and princess. They were being disrespectful, but Katakuri wouldn't call them out on it. Not yet anyway.

The rest of the lunch date continued on as if that bit of dialogue never happened. Katakuri's tea was gone by then, having declined kettles when they came around the table. It was becoming boring, sitting here while the parents of the two families continued to converse. He began to flip a jellybean, his foot tapping against the floor with each flick of his thumb. Perospero had barely touched any food, sipping pathetically at his drink. He _really_ didn't want to be here doing this, but Mama said she wanted this marriage, but Katakuri knew she only did weddings for the wedding cake. Very rarely did she do it to be happy for her kids. Most weddings were done to tie different gangs to hers or, in her case, to have more children to turn into fighters, creating an army of loyal followers.

"Why don't we leave our children to talk amongst themselves?" Judge suggested, standing from his seat. "We can discuss more private matters in a separate room."

Big Mom smiled brightly. "Mamamama! Give them a chance to get to know each other better." She looked at Perospero, who returned her gaze with a fake smile. "Maybe they'll be less shy without their parents around!"

Judge laughed along with her as they left their seats. Katakuri held in a sigh as they exited the room. He already knew what was going to happen, having seen a few seconds into the future. He shut his eyes as the Germa brothers launched straight into mocking the Charlottes.

"'Get to know each other better'," Niji mimicked. "We don't care who you are. We don't want to know more about you, either."

"Yeah!" Yonji sneered. "Do you really expect this 'marriage' to be sugar, spice and everything nice?"

Ichiji's brows knitted together sharply, but before he could say anything, his brothers continued.

"Besides, you're so old," Niji smirked at Perospero. "You probably can't even get it up anymore."

"Hahaha!" Yonji held his stomach as he laughed, half bent over in his chair. "I doubt any of them can! Maybe it's been shriveled up by all this damn sweet shit they eat all the time!"

The two laughed loudly, Reiju still wearing that perfect mask, but her eyes were closed just like Katakuri's had been. His eyes now open, he watched the Germa brothers. They weren't just annoying, they were disrespectful and inhumane in every sense. Their laughs bounced off the walls until a fist slammed on the table. Katakuri shifted his eyes to the seat beside him and noticed Oven grinding his teeth together.

"You bionicles probably don't even have genitals," He quipped back at them. Their laughter subsided. "Sure, you have the anatomy of a human being, but do you really function as one?"

"The fuck are you trying to say?" Niji's voice was deep as he frowned.

"I'm saying, you're a bunch of aliens. How do you fuck? Emit ecstasy through those big ass goggles?"

"I bet you get off by sleeping with stoves."

"Now, now," Perospero lifted a hand as he tried to calm them down. Though, a vein bulged on his forehead from Niji's earlier teasing. "We're supposed to be getting along. Mama wouldn't like it if anything were to ruin the wedding." He eyed Oven specifically. Even if the Germa princes were jerks, the Charlottes knew better than to get riled up after a bit of teasing.

Oven grumbled but relaxed into his seat. But the Vinsmoke brothers weren't going to let it go that easily.

"Screw the wedding," Yonji snarled.

Ichiji shifted in his seat, crossing one leg over the other, arms crossed. "No, Yonji, we must go through with the wedding." His face was neutral, almost a mask like his sister's. "Have you forgotten? Father agreed to this idea so we must follow his wishes. You wouldn't want to anger him, would you?"

Perospero had his brows raised as Ichiji calmed his brothers down. He licked thoughtfully at his cane as the room fell into a collective silence. It stayed that way until a large clock chimed to announce the new hour. As it did, Mama and Judge re-entered the room, both smiling. Judge's smile faltered a little as he noticed the frowns on his children's faces. Even Reiju had slipped into a neutral look. Mama didn't notice, or care to, as she walked closer to the table.

"Ma~ma! Since you're getting along so well," _Oh, please,_ "We've decided to send you all on a mission. It'll be fun!" Mama announced. She looked at Judge, the man coming up beside her.

"That's right. We've gotten word that Kaido was expecting goods to arrive on this hour," He glanced at the clock. It looked right back at him, smiling. "And Mrs. Linlin and I have agreed that we're more in need of those items than they are." He looked at his children. "This gives you the opportunity to work with and fight alongside your new siblings."

Niji and Yonji needed to work on their facial expressions. Unlike their sister and Ichiji, they let their disdain show vibrantly through their knitted brows and deepened frowns. They should learn to hold their tongues, too. Katakuri exhaled heavily as they opened their mouths.

"Father, I'm sure we can get it done without the help," Niji smiled. "With my speed, I'll have the goods delivered before it reaches half an hour. They won't even know we're there."

Yonji joined in, his grin wide, flexing an arm. "The guards are probably a bunch a weaklings. Nothing I can't handle with my strength."

Judge smiled, proud of his sons' boasting. "Of course, but-"

Oven stood up from the table angrily, the chair nearly being pushed over. "You really think you're so tough. Have you even met any of Kaido's men before?" He turned to Mama. "Mama, forget about them. Let _us_ go and retrieve the goods. We'll be quick and silent-"

"Quick and silent?" Niji snorted, Yonji wheezing beside him. "You're all a bunch of giants! They'd probably hear you coming from miles away, lumbering along like elephants! As far as I can tell, you move like snails, too!" He glanced at Katakuri. "That guy hasn't moved since he sat down. What a wierdo."

The jellybean landed back in Katakuri's hand, not coming up again.

Brulee stuck her head through a mirror, her face twisted in an angry scowl. "Don't talk about Big Brother Kuri like that! He's a million times better than all of you chemically enhanced jerks! Did you know? He's never once been on his back! Even when he was born, he was standing tall!"

Katakuri's arched brows arched even more. "Brulee-"

She didn't hear him, continuing the boast on his behalf. "None of you could ever stand up to him!" She smiled widely, turning to Katakuri. "He's the coolest brother ever!"

Niji's lips twisted into a deeper frown. "Huh? Where'd this ugly hag come from?"

"Niji-" Judge spoke, but was interrupted.

"And that scar!" Yonji put in. "Not that she'd be pretty without it."

Brulee looked hurt and Katakuri'd be damned if he'd let these ignorant fools bully a family member. The foot he had been tapping came to an abrupt halt. The boot snapping down, hard, against the smooth, tiled floor. It echoed off the walls, creating a silence in the room. Even the plants had stopped singing, freezing up with horror on their faces. The dishes on the table scooted away from him as he let his aura flare. They were wasting time arguing like this. They could have already retrieved the goods by now, yet here they were, bickering about who was faster or better.

He got up from his seat. "Mama, we're wasting time. We should go. **now**."

Mama had been looking between the quarreling children. Her smile had faded, but her mouth still hung open. When her son spoke to her, she snapped out of her thoughts and turned to him. "Eh? Sure, go right ahead." Her smile returned. "And if anyone gets in your way, _crush them_."

That was all the orders he needed. He turned to leave the room, Oven and Perospero moving swiftly from their spots to catch up with him. Brulee had returned to the mirro-world, but Katakuri knew she'd be moving between mirrors to watch them. He didn't wait for the Vinsmokes. He didn't care what they did as long as they didn't get in his way. Or he'd do exactly as his mother told him. As the group of Charlottes rounded the corner and towards a stairwell that would lead them further underground, Katakuri pulled out his spear, Mogura, from his mochified arm. After suffering through those petty arguments, he was in the mood to release that stress. Particularly by slaughtering a couple dozen enemies.

* * *

Katakuri pulled Mogura from the mutilated remains of an enemy gang member. The transfer of goods had begun right when they had entered the black market port of the underground. The Germa siblings had rushed past Katakuri and his brothers, leaping onto the ship in search of the items that would be on board. Perospero had created a candy wall around the ship to keep it from escaping. Though Katakuri wouldn't have cared if it drifted away with the Germa still inside it, the items had yet to be retrieved. The sounds of screams and the audible noises of bones snapping could be heard on the ship; the occasional body being flung overboard to crash down onto the candied covering that spread over the water. 

The men they were fighting wore odd clothes. Like a bunch of vikings. Well, Kaido's gang was known as the 'Beast' gang. Mainly because of the amount of half animal, half human members that resided within the gang. But right now, Katakuri didn't care what they wore, or even what they were. They were all enemies and he was tasked to take them all out. His eyes flashed and he dodged a bullet to his left. He immediately swung out with one armament-spiked, mochi arm, knocking the men shooting at him into the wall. Oven boiled a group of fighters alive, their screams fading as they melted into human muck. He then pulled out his naginata, heating it up until it caught fire, turning a deep red. Oven lunged at more enemies, cleaving them in half like they were large sticks of butter under a hot knife. Perospero whipped his cane around, whacking at anyone that dared get too close. He turned a few of them into candy, shelling them completely in his candy wax.

There was an explosion from deep inside the ship, the Charlotte brothers taking a split second to glance at it before continuing their attack. The explosion shook the ship, tiny cracks beginning to form on the candy encasing its bottom half. Whatever those Germa children were doing, they were being quite loud despite their earlier boasts of not making any sounds. Suddenly, Katakuri jolted, eyes turning a bright red as he foresaw the future. His head snapped towards Oven.

"Oven! Move!"

His brother paused, his blade halted in the air. He turned to look at Katakuri right when a golden hook appeared behind him, sand pouring out from the hook's back end. Katakuri instantly shot an arm out, the mochi covered in haki as it clashed against it. The hook recoiled backwards, the sand dragging it back to the body of a man. Said man had on a black suit, an oversized coat hanging from his shoulders like a cape. There was a line of stitches placed horizontally across his face. A giant cigar between his lips.

"So, the rumors are true," The man spoke, his voice gruff. He moved out of what must've been his hiding spot, allowing more of those oddly clothed men to swarm out from behind him like a hive of angry bees. "You really can see into the future."

Had they been expecting this? Had they been expecting _him_? Kaido must have figured Mama would have wanted in on some newly imported goods and would sent her some of her children to go nab it. But how would he have known Mama was hosting a little get-together underground? Katakuri cursed under his breath, wishing he could see more into the future without his senses having to be triggered. Maybe he could have prevented this.

Oven whipped around, his surprise evident in his hesitant movements. The way he swung his blade, downing an enemy, but another would quickly take it's place. Unfortunately, there hadn't been any time to assemble their own forces, the Germa quick to get the job done like it was some sort of race against the Charlottes. Katakuri could see Perospero whipping his head from side to side as enemies closed in on their brother. The candy man growling as he tried to think of what to do. If he turned his attention away from the ship, the Germa would have to be quick about getting the items or the new swarm of enemies would have a chance to climb onto the ship and hinder their progress of stealing the goods. But if he ignored Oven, his brother would ultimately get over run and probably killed. Katakuri began to run towards Oven, catching Perospero's eye.

"Get onto the ship!" He called to his older brother as he ran past. "If you can barricade them from getting near the Germa, we still have a chance at getting away with the items!"

An expression of 'ah, I get it' formed on Perospero's face and he ran onto the candy flooring, hopping onto the ship. Katakuri turned his focus back onto Oven, who's body had turned bright red in an attempt to keep the attackers from touching him. He looked overwhelmed, sweat beginning to form on his brow. Katakuri leaped into the air, pointing Mogura down as he descended. When he hit the ground, the force split the ground beneath him into a spider web of cracks. The unfortunate men that had happened to be right where he landed were now a heap of blood, guts and broken limbs. He then swung the spear in a horizontal arc, clearing a wide space around the two of them. Once they had room to breathe, Oven seemed to slump over, his weapon piercing the ground as he leaned against it.

"Thank you, brother," He said. He sounded tired, his breathing coming out in puffs.

Katakuri hadn't even broken into a sweat yet, but he had a higher endurance than his siblings. "Stand tall, Oven. You mustn't let them see that they almost had a victory over you." It was bad enough that Katakuri had been surprised by this new turn of events, but the enemy mustn't know that. It was like letting them see their weaknesses.

Oven took a couple more breaths before pulling himself together. He snatched his blade from the ground and stood beside Katakuri as the latter turned to face the man with the hook for a hand. "Since you already have an idea of who I am," Katakuri spoke. "Who are you?"

The man sneered at them. "I don't have time for introductions. I'm only here for the goods, and the goods only!"

the two Charlotte brothers leaped back as a wave of sand rushed towards them. They used their weapons to divide the rush of sand and keep it out of their faces. A man that can manipulate sand. He had the powers of a Devil Pill*. Devil Pills were hard to come by nowadays. Most of them having already been consumed by the majority of gang and crew members. But, there was a man that had been tasked with creating artificial pills...

Oven heated himself as the sand rushed around him. Of course, the sand hardened and became an abstract art piece made of glass. The brothers stepped around it, facing the hook man who's eyes had widened upon seeing the glass structure. He stopped creating sand as the heat began to build towards him. He held up his hook, his expression becoming a scowl. A purple liquid dripped from the tip of the claw onto the ground, where it sizzled against the stone floor. Katakuri frowned.

"If I can't drown you in sand, then.." He mumbled. Then he began to envelope himself in sand, creating a vortex that swirled towards the two Charlottes.

"Whatever you're mumbling about, it's not gonna work!" Oven smirked, launching himself at the vortex. "I'll just turn you into a pile of glass!"

Katakuri felt the familiar tingle again. "No! Wait!" But it was too late.

Oven leaped up and jabbed his naginata into the vortex, heating himself and his blade again. As the sand began to form into glass, Oven jerked, eyebrows raising as his body seemed to be stuck in mid air. At that same moment, the sand man's hook shot out through the sand, stabbing into Oven's shoulder. Oven's eyes widened, and the man's figure began to appear as the vortex dissipated. His lips were turned up in a triumphant smirk as he floated above Oven. Oven's face twisted before he fell backwards. He landed on his feet, but went down onto one knee, one hand holding the wound to staunch the bleeding.

Katakuri took long strides to reach his brother's side. He glanced down at his brother, noticing how pale his face was. "Oven-" His eyebrows arched upward in surprise as Oven suddenly bent over, vomiting blood.

"Wh-what the hell?" Oven's voice was slightly shaky as he wiped his mouth. "What did you do to me?" He snarled, eyes glaring like fire.

The man lifted his hook again, the purple liquid from before slid down the edge of the hook. Katakuri's voice was heavy with distaste as he looked at the wound which had started to show a purplish color around it. "Poison."

"That's right," Another voice sounded to their left and they turned to view a lanky man with an overly feathery pink coat hanging in the air above the bow of the ship. "My friend here can produce a toxic poison that slowly kills his enemies from the inside out." He began to laugh, starting from a low giggle as he gave a bow. "Donquixote Doflamingo. Sir Crocodile." He gestured towards the man now known as Crocodile.

Katakuri frowned some more as recognition began to dawn on him. He'd heard bits and pieces about these men from news articles and sometimes when he had the time to turn a TV on. "So you work for Kaido." He spoke before Doflamingo could, already knowing what he would say.

Doflamingo grinned, his teeth flashing brightly. "And you must have figured out by now that we knew you were coming." He then turned to Crocodile. "Nice work on that hot head. See what we can do when we work together?"

Crocodile's scowl deepened. "Quit talking. We're not done yet."

Oven began to cough, spots of blood dotting the ground in front of him. Katakuri glared at the two enemy men. The situation was getting worse and worse. Oven probably couldn't fight anymore, so now it was just him versus those two. Behind the scarf, his teeth gnashed, clacking together as he began to formulate a plan on how to take them down while also keeping them away from Oven. He started to create a handful of mochi arms covered in haki. This'll keep them away while he figured out what to do about Oven. Smoothie wasn't around to twist the poison from his arm, so Katakuri just hoped Oven could endure the pain until they got out of there. 

Doflamingo rushed forward, his fingers bent oddly as if he were controlling a puppet. Katakuri's eyes gleamed and he grabbed Oven, using his mochi arms to surround them as a shield. That's right; he had almost forgotten. Doflamingo possessed a Devil Pill power, too. One dealing with strings. Strings which seemed to be everywhere like spider webs. Doflamingo must have been laying these around the area while Crocodile kept them busy. Katakuri berated himself for his lack of awareness. He was starting to get annoyed, too. This fight was dragging on longer than he had expected. Where were those damned Germa?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, another loud explosion sounded on the ship. Red flames rose into the air. The explosion had been closer towards the front of the ship. The sounds of fighting returned to the deck as Perospero leaped back down onto the candy flooring. He looked frazzled, burn marks marring the edges of his clothes and the rim of his hat. The Germa hopped down after him, looking unscathed except for a few scratch marks here and there. Perospero held a large bag in his hand as he ran from the port. 

Doflamingo turned around, forgetting about his attack on Katakuri and Oven. "Where do you think you're going with that?" His voice was like a snakes as he flew after the candy man.

Katakuri shot a mochi fist at him, the string man dodging it with the use of his strings as a shield. He used another fist to combat the wave of sand coming at him from his other side. Crocodile retracted his sand and began an attack on Perospero. Before Katakuri could react, Yonji appeared, his fist detaching from his wrist. It pushed through the sand and right into Crocodile's chest, tossing him backwards. Yonji grinned widely, flexing once his hand came back to him.

Katakuri would never thank the Germa man, but he did feel some tension release now that he didn't have to worry about the poison claw anymore. During that time, Oven had fallen limp, his body felt cold and clammy against Katakuri, who felt his chest tighten. They had to get out of there or else he'd be losing a brother. What kind of poison was that man carrying around? He hoisted his brother over his shoulder and made a dash after Perospero, who was running as fast as he could while carrying such a large bag. The Germa siblings carried out a defense position around him, attacking anyone that got too close.

Doflamingo was one of those people. He swung his arm towards Perospero, but Reiju intercepted, getting entangled by the string. She cried out in pain as it tightened around her, cutting into her skin. Katakuri expected at least one brother to move to her aid, but Ichiji turned around mid-flight to stop his brothers from moving to get her.

"Leave the weak behind. If she's strong enough, she'll escape and return to us," Ichiji's words were like ice shards. Niji and Yonji both stared at him as if struggling to decide whether to listen to him or not. They eventually chose to keep moving forward, not even sparing Reiju a glance.

Reiju had stopped struggling, a sad smile on her face. "You're so cold, brother."

Katakuri wondered if the explosions were messing with his ears. Did Ichiji really mean to leave his sister behind to suffer? He couldn't imagine leaving his own triplet behind. They weren't just emotionless. They were cold-hearted monsters with zero respect for anyone but their father. Not even for their older sister.

Truly sickening.

Katakuri felt a rage burn in his chest. As he carried Oven towards the gated doors that would be their escape route, he slowed down. Despite his now hatred for the Germa princes, their sister hadn't said a word during the tea party. She never once laughed along with them when they taunted the Charlottes. She never joined in mocking them, either. She stayed regal and silent. And for that, Katakuri wouldn't mind lending a helping hand. Just this once.

He set Oven down by the gate, Perospero puffing as he set the bag down. "What," _wheeze_ , "Are you doing?" His older brother asked as he looked at Oven. His face shifting to a look of horror as he examined his little brother. "What the hell happened to him?!"

Katakuri didn't answer, simply turning around and moving with heavy steps back towards where Reiju had last been seen. The Germa brothers glanced at him with confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"The exit's that way, idiot!"

Katakuri gripped his spear tighter in his hand as he ignored them. As he got closer towards where the ship was, he spotted Doflamingo sitting on the edge of the ship's bow. Reiju dangled from a couple strings, her arms up above her head. Her head was bowed, eyes closed, but Katakuri knew she was still conscious. Once he got into their view, Doflamingo grinned savagely.

"I believe this is one of yours," He purred, tightening the strings around Reiju, her body tensing in pain.

"Let her go." Was all Katakuri said, his face dark. Reiju opened her eyes and blinked at him. There was confusion on her face. She was probably wondering why someone like him would come back for her, especially after what happened during tea time.

"mmm, how 'bout **no**."

Katakuri angled himself, knees bending, an arm arching as he lifted Mogura up. He then shot the spear at Doflamingo, who chuckled as he dodged it. But his expression soon changed to a frown. Once the spear had passed him, a flurry of mochi fists appeared above him. He was smashed into the ground and the strings around them loosened. Reiju slipped from the string's hold, falling to her knees. Katakuri shifted his gaze towards her, watching as she staggered to her feet, then used the boosters on the bottom of her boots to propel herself up into the air.

As she passed him, she flew close to his head. "Thank you," She spoke softly as she left to return back to her brothers.

Katakuri continued to watch her until she disappeared around a corner before bringing his attention back to Doflamingo. He removed the mochi fists that were pressed into the ground and looked down upon the string man. There was a smile on his face and his glasses were broken yet they still covered his eyes.

"Nice one, mochi man," He spoke, blood trailing a line past his mouth. Katakuri thought of just out right killing him, but that's not what he had been sent here to do.

He turned around and made his way back to the gated doors where he had left Oven. The mission was over and despite the problems that came along with it, it was a success. The items had been retrieved. All he needed to do now is report back to Mama and get Oven the help he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Devil Fruits are drugs in this story. Imagine oddly shaped pills with an even funkier taste than normal pills.
> 
> I'm starting to get lazy about describing outfits. If you don't know what someone is wearing, use your imagination. They could be wearing canon outfits, or any outfit you wish to put them in. They could be wearing onesies for all I care.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Chapter updates will be getting slower since I'm going to be super busy: moving into a new apartment, getting a job, etc. 
> 
> I hope Oda goes back to the Reverie. I really want to know what's going on there. Why Bonney's there, how Sabo and his gang are gonna get Kuma out, and if a good fight between Lucci and Sabo happens. They did fight in the Gold movie, but we barely saw that, except for the moment they meet, and then a scene where they both(mostly Sabo) look beat up. Maybe in Stampede we'll get a decent fight scene... I'm excited to watch the movie! are you?

_Back in time - Night of the festival_

_Location : Mariejois, outer gates_

**10:00pm**

_Three shapes swiftly moved like fluid shadows towards the high, pointed gates of Mariejois,_ the main Government building of the country. The giant castle-like building stood ominously in the lamp lights. The gated fences stood like spears along the edges of the building. The three figures darted towards an area of the fence where no lamp lights illuminated the ground. Once there, they stood in silence, staring at the structure in front of them. One figure took his hood off, ruffling his golden waves of hair back in order. The smaller figure beside him nudged him roughly with a cloaked elbow.

"Put your hood back on!" She whispered harshly. "You're head is like a light bulb!"

He simply shrugged his shoulders. "I won't be needing this cloak once we're inside. I'll just be taking the uniform right off a guard."

She rolled her eyes. "Let's hope you're lucky enough to snatch one without causing a scene."

"You've had little faith in me recently," He pouted, pretending to look hurt.

She held a fist up threateningly but the third figure stepped between them. "Now is not the time for childish squabble, Sabo, Koala. We need to get this done before the first light of dawn. Without being seen," He added with a pointed look at Sabo.

"Both of you lack faith," He grumbled. "It was just that **one** incident.."

"You could have been arrested, then interrogated, or even tortured to death!" Koala sounded exasperated.

"Yet, here I am." Sabo spread his arms out in front of him, smiling as Koala sighed.

"Enough," Dragon rumbled. "Sabo, go."

Sabo nodded and made his way closer to the fence. He reached his hands to grip the gate bars tightly to test its durability before beginning his climb. He slipped his fingersand feet around the bars, his body moving as if he'd been climbing fences like this for ages. Once near the top, Sabo eyed the spiked heads of the gated, iron fence. They looked very sharp and one wrong move could have him impaled. That would be embarrassing. Sabo could imagine getting stuck up there and having to call for his friends or wait until security found him. If he didn't bleed out beforehand. 

He planted his feet underneath him in a frog like manner. He placed his hands in the spaces between the spiked heads. Taking a breath, he launched himself over, rolling once he hit the ground to ease his fall. Once standing, he turned back to wink at the two figures on the other side of the bars. Koala rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Dragon just nodded his head and began to head towards another section where he would send Koala to assist Sabo if need be. Sabo watched them leave before making his way through a walkway, staying low to avoid guards and any lights that may illuminate him. He stopped behind a pillar as a few guards walked by and he weighed his options.

Should he make his first strike at these men? It was wide in the open, and there could be cameras. But thanks to Karasu and the use of his crows, they were able to create a map which they downloaded onto their new communication devices to show where the cameras were placed. Sabo checked his device, seeing the red dots that showed the cameras placed in the area he was in. There were three in the near vicinity. One placed right above the area the guards were heading to. Sabo figured he'd just have to find another target instead of taking any risks.

He dived into the hallway the guards head come from, slipping behind pillars and corners to stay hidden. One guard passed nearby and Sabo took this chance to attack. He took a second to check for cameras or other guards before rushing forward. He pulled his pipe from within the cloak and whacked the guard over the head. The man fell with a grunt. Sabo looked around again before quickly reaching his arms under the body, dragging it back towards a storage room that was thankfully unlocked. He snatched the clothes off the guard and pulled off his cloak. He put the uniform on, noticing it was a bit loose since the guard had been bigger than him. He tossed the cloak over the unconscious body and grabbed the hat. He adjusted it onto his head, making it low enough to hide most of his facial features from any cameras he might pass under.

He exited the storage room, making sure to close the door. He hoped the janitor wouldn't go in there just yet.. If there even was a janitor. The place was pristine. The white floors were so cleaned, he could see his reflection as if he were standing in water. The air was crisp and with each breath, he could smell the scent of brand new books and the sharp twinge of polish. Well, it was a sort of castle, so it would be wise to keep it clean for the Celestial Dragons.

Sabo walked carefully down the halls, eyes shifting from side to side. His hands twitched when he came upon a hall corner, expecting to run into a few guards. But to his confusion, there wasn't as many guards as he originally thought there to be. Well, count his stars lucky, then. This made it easier to head to the central square. He took a couple turns, trying his best to appear in as little camera footage as possible. If any of the higher ups starts to suspect anything once the mission was complete, the first thing they'd do is check the camera logs. If Sabo only appeared in a few, it'd make him less of a suspicious figure.

He made his way out of a couple doors, keeping his head down and footsteps light as he passed near a group of guards who had their backs to him. If he didn't look at them, they wouldn't feel the need to look behind themselves. Once out of their view, he skirted a few more corners before arriving at his destination. There was a forest in between two large automated walkways. He looked around him to make sure there weren't any curious eyes pointed in his direction then headed into the trees. He walked a bit further in to make sure he was hidden by the thick foliage before taking out his communicator; a black flip phone with a few added buttons for specific reasons. The light was dim so he had to squint at the screen to find the person he wanted to contact before clicking a little green button. 

"Finally," A female voice sounded on the other end. "I almost began to think you had gotten captured."

Sabo smiled to himself. "Nah, Just being cautious."His smile faded as he added, "There weren't that many guards. I wonder if something must be up."

"Let's hope they're just slacking off like the trash they are," She responded.

"Betty, do you have visuals on the target?"

Betty was silent on the other line for a moment. "Here it is. I'll upload it to your communicator."

There was a _ding!_ and Sabo glanced once more at the screen. There was a blue dot blinking in and out close to where he was standing. That was good. He didn't have much further to go. "Thanks. I'm heading towards it now."

"Don't do anything stupid, you fool."

Sabo just shook his head, though she couldn't see it. "I won't." He then added after receiving nothing but silence, "I promise."

"Hmph," Was her only response before the line cut off.

Sabo's smile faded. It was time to get serious.

Their target was Bartholomew Kuma. A man that was once a highly respected Revolutionary. He had sacrificed himself to be used as a dog for the Celestial Dragons and Sabo had been furious upon finding out. The last time anyone had seen him was years ago when Koala and Ivankov had gone on an undercover mission. The mission had the two disguising themselves as ladies-in-waiting for a female member of the Celestial Dragons. He remembered Koala calling him, her voice muffled from her sobs. She had been so devastated, Ivankov having to take her away before anyone got suspicious of them. Sabo had felt a fierce feeling of rage nearly overcome him entirely. He had hated Dragon for a while, having felt like the man was just going to leave him behind or forget his existence. But that hadn't been the case. Dragon had simply been abiding his time until he was fully prepared to rescue Kuma. 

Now, with the chance to take him back right in front of them, Sabo could barely contain the itch in his legs that made him want to run right to him. He had to maintain his security guard facade until he was sure there was a definite escape route for when the mission was successful. Sabo walked briskly out of the woods, adjusting his hat again. The familiar tingle of nervousness rippled in his chest as he got closer to the building that housed their bear-like friend. There were two guards posted at the front gates to the mansion. He could take them out, but he was sure there was a camera positioned right above them to catch the whole thing. He could sneak right over them without having to interact with them at all. He was quite adept at climbing gates after all. Or the last option: Talking to them. Convincing the guards that he needed to go inside, maybe to report on activity at the main gates. He decided to take his chances with the third option. He strode right up to the two men who both tightened their grip on their weapons and turned to face him.

"Halt!" One guard said. "Who goes there?"

Sabo walked closer until he stood under the pool of light two street lamps were producing. "It's just me." He tugged the badge on his shirt that told the guards he was one of them. "I'd like to make a report on suspicious activity at the front gates."

"Huh?" The other guard spoke, an eyebrow raised. "We haven't heard anything-"

Just then an explosion sounded back the way Sabo had come. Exactly at the front gates. The two guards gaped at each other before moving into action.

"God damn it! Who is it this time? A gang?" The first guard mumbled as the other guard ran to alert the others about the situation. "Go ahead inside and make your report." He moved aside, the gates opening to allow Sabo through.

Sabo nodded his thanks before walking past him and towards the building's front doors. He couldn't help but let a sly smirk cross his features. That was a heck of a lot easier than it should have been. He was about to grab the handle to the door when it suddenly burst open and a man wearing sun shades and a white night gown appeared. He looked frazzled, hair sticking in various directions as he looked around. 

"What the hell is all that noise?!" He shouted in a sleepy voice.

Sabo bowed slightly, as much as he hated it, especially in front of these damned Celestial beings. "My lord, there was an explosion at the front gate. I was just coming to report it to you."

The man finally looked at Sabo, sparing him a quick up and down glance. "Huh.. Have I seen you before?"

"No, Sir." Sabo kept his eyes down, the hat keeping the top half of his face hidden. He may have quite the scar on his face, but there was nothing a bit of concealer couldn't hide. He had Ivankov to thank for that.

The man stepped a little closer, tilting himself to get a look at Sabo's face. "Hm, I'm sure I would have remembered someone with good looks-"

"Daddy!" Another Celestial Dragon appeared in the doorway. His pajamas were reminiscent of a child's with the dinosaurs dotted all over. "What's that noise? Is it storming?"

"No, my dear boy," The man spoke, going over to his son. "There was a noise at the front gate."

The son huffed. "It's those gangs again? Maybe the Revolutionary? We should just get rid of all of them!"

The man rubbed his son's back. "Do not worry yourself, Charlos. They are just trash that will take themselves out on their own."

Sabo's jaw clenched but he straightened up with a respectful gaze as the two Celestials looked back at him. So this was Saint Rosward and his son, Saint Charlos. The ones keeping Kuma as some kind of pet. Oh, how he'd just love to deck them between the eyes.

Sabo expected to be turned away, told to report back to the front gates to defend it, but instead- "Well? Come inside. You can spend the night protecting us from harm." Rosward beckoned Sabo inside with a quick wave of his hand.

Charlos blinked at him, but turned to his father. "Daddy, who's this man?"

As Sabo entered behind them, closing the door quietly, he heard the father respond, "If you're so interested, go ask him for his name." Then he headed upstairs to his bedroom.

Charlos stopped at the bottom of the steps, watching his father's figure disappear before turning back to Sabo. "Hey, guard, what's your name?"

Sabo froze for half a second, a name popping into his head. "Ryu."

"Ryu?" Charlos put a hand to his chin. "That means dragon, right? Why would your parents name you that if you're not a World noble?" Charlos peered at him, sniffling as some snot dripped from his nose. "Or were you a regular noble before you came here?"

_If only you knew the life I had before this.._ "No, my lord. I am just an average guard." _Now hurry up and go back to sleep!_

"You've got nice blue eyes. Are they real?" _What the fuck? Does he think I'm wearing contacts? What would be the point of that?_

"Yes, my lord." Sabo inwardly cringed as the Celestial Dragon walked over to him and placed a hand on his cheek, lifting his face so they could see eye to eye.

"You're really handsome. My sister would like you. Or..." Charlos seemed to be thinking before he burst into a laugh. "Or! You could be my husband!" The laugh was ugly, as he if had congestion mixed in with just being so damned annoying.

Sabo stayed silent. He wouldn't even bother trying to laugh along. This man was absolutely the WORST.

The laughing subsided and Charlos yawned. "Guess I should head back to bed." He began to trek upstairs before turning back. "You can stand by our bedroom doors since the guard that usually stands there got executed for slacking on the job."

Sabo bowed again before making his way upstairs behind Charlos. Once the man was in his room, Sabo took a minute to casually pretended to patrol around the hall, taking notice of the cameras pointing right at the Celestial Dragon's doors. He would more than likely have to disable them in order to look for Kuma without looking suspicious. He paced over to a corner that he cameras couldn't see and pulled out his communicator. He made a quick text Lindbergh in the hopes that he could disable to cameras in this room specifically.

**LB: I'll see what I can do** **.**

Was the response.

So Sabo waited for what felt like an hour, pacing up and down the hall until his phone buzzed in his hand. He turned his back away from the cameras and sneaked a glance at the message. It was an all clear. He grinned in satisfaction. He thought it'd be harder to hack into the building's security cameras, but he could trust Lindbergh always getting the job done. Now that he could roam around freely, Sabo took a chance to look in each other their rooms. He put his ear to the door first, making sure to listen for the sounds of snoring before opening their doors to peer inside. Unfortunately, Kuma was nowhere to be seen.

Sabo tried a few more rooms to no avail. He rubbed the back of his head, growing frustrated as he looked at his communicator's map. The glowing blue dot was still there. He was practically right on top of it! So why couldn't he find-

_Clink.. Clink..._

There was a barely audible sound of metal hitting a cold, stone floor. Sabo froze, ears straining to pick up where the sound was coming from.

_Clink..._

Sabo's eyes trailed downwards until he was looking down at the floor. His mouth gaped open as he blinked at the ground. His mouth snapped shut with a click of his teeth. There had to be a basement in this giant house and what better place to put your captive than there? Sabo went downstairs, careful of his steps just in case a floorboard squeaked beneath him. He went into the living room and paused.

_Clink..._

He tilted his head, following the quiet sounds until he paused in front of a wall. He stared at it, wondering if there could be a slab of stone he could press that'll open the wall like a door. He let his hands trailed up and down the grey expanse of wall, feeling around the pictures and antiques held up against the wall to see if they were trigger the door. But there was nothing. _Shit.._

He was getting more and more frustrated as the night wore on. It was probably around 1am. They'd have to abort the mission in a couple of hours. Sabo didn't feel like wasting time feeling up a wall. So he turned around, stopping when he noticed something. Slowly, he turned back around and looked down. There, hidden under the rug was what appeared to be a glitch in the wooden floors. The wooden look seemed to cut off, like that specific piece of floor had been set there to hide something. Like a hidden door, maybe?

Sabo bent down and touched it, feeling the hollowness beneath his fingers. He smiled. Finally. He found a way into the basement. Of course, it was locked, so the only way he was getting in was to find the key. Or silently _Ryusoken_ the latch, which he did. Once that was done, he opened the door just enough to slip under and headed down the stairs. The clinking was clearer down there, the sound getting louder as he got closer. It was dark, but he didn't want to risk any guards seeing him if there were any down here with him. But as he slithered along a wall, he didn't sense any guards around. He got to a corner and peered carefully into the room the noise was coming from.

Sabo's face lit up in a smile as he saw Kuma sitting with his back to him, facing the wall. He was in tattered clothing, but he appeared to be clean. As if the Celestial Dragons would want to parade around with a dirty 'dog'. The clinking noise was the sound of icy cold water droplets landing on the steel pipes lining the walls. Sabo looked around the ceiling, noticing a camera placed across the room from where he stood. He wondered if the camera video had audio, but it's not like he was staying here any longer than this mission. He leaned out more from his hiding spot, keeping an eye on the camera, though it was placed facing Kuma. It shouldn't be able to see Sabo unless it was one of those rotating cameras. It'd be just his luck if this one hadn't been disabled by Lindbergh.

He glanced back at Kuma, putting a hand around his mouth to amplify his whisper. "Kuma? Kuma!"

The man didn't move. He didn't even seem to be breathing. Sabo stepped out from his cover and took a few cautious steps in the bear man's direction. "Kuma, it's me. Sabo." As he got closer, Kuma suddenly jolted, turning slowly to face him. His face was blank and Sabo had to keep from biting his lip in sympathy.

Kuma looked so emotionless that even if they were to get him out of there, Koala would never stop crying over him. Sabo could already hear her sobs in his head. He lifted his hands to show he was a friend, slowly continuing to make small steps towards him. "Kuma, I'm here-"

"You shouldn't have come here," Kuma's voice was still the usual softness it's always been, but was monotone.

Sabo put his hands down. "I came to rescue you. Yeah," He added when Kuma opened his mouth again, "It was a dangerous idea, but I didn't plan this alone. We all did." He held up his communicator for Kuma to see, who simply stared at.

"You're not listening to me," Kuma repeated like a broken record. But this time, there was a hardness in his soft voice. "You _shouldn't have come here._ "

Sabo sighed in the beginnings of irritation. "And _you're_ not listening to _me_." He took a breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment. "I know you suffered a lot; you gave up your way of life to keep us safe. And I appreciate that, I really do, but I'm getting you out of here whether you like it or not."

Kuma just shook his head, turning back around for a moment before getting to his feet. "I almost didn't recognize you."-Sabo felt a stab of icy emotions through his heart-"There's a scientist-"

"Drop the name and where I can find him," Sabo demanded as He began to lead Kuma back up the stairs. He reached a steadying arm out as Kuma wobbled on his feet.

" _There's a scientist,_ " Kuma repeated, ignoring Sabo's request. "He's been doing tests on not just me, on other slaves, too."

"You're not a slave." Sabo growled. "Not anymore."

Kuma observed him for a heartbeat, face still expressionless. "Just to let you know, once I'm out, an alarm will sound. If my owners- if the Celestial Dragons aren't nearby the collar," He tilted his head so Sabo could see a black, metal collar set snugly around his neck. "When I leave the basement, it'll alert any forces nearby to detain me. And since you're also not supposed to be here..."

Sabo could finish the rest of that sentence in his head. "Yeah, which is why we gotta be quick." He pulled out his communicator. "Morley, I've got Kuma-"

"Oh, Kuma!!" The voice on the other line giggled. "I'm still upset with you for leaving us like that, you naughty boy! Well, at least you're safe now."

Sabo side eyed Kuma, waiting to see his reaction, but there was nothing. Just the same poker face. With a inward sigh, Sabo continued. "Yeah, listen, the alarm might go off soon, so I need to know how close you are to my location."

"Hm.. Oh! I'm only a block away! Should I head your way now?"

"That'd be ideal."

"Ok!" Morley exclaimed. "Be good boys and wait for me, alright?" Then the line cut.

They reached the top of the stairs. Sabo opened the hatch a tiny bit, peering out to see if those Celestials had woken or if guards had entered the premises. It was quiet, so Sabo opened it all the way to allow Kuma's bigger size to fit through. As Kuma passed through the hatch door, a loud beeping came from his collar and Kuma immediately reached a hand to his neck like it hurt. Sabo went over to Kuma, standing on his tiptoes to take a closer look at the collar. _Damn._ It looked like some sort of code had to be input before it could be unlocked. No key hole in sight. It would have been a lot easier if it did require a key. Sabo wouldn't have minded storming the Dragons' rooms to find it, either. 

"Who's there?" A guard asked from across a hallway.

Sabo cursed and pulled out his metal pipe which had been disguised as a baton. It had been so dark in the central square, no one had noticed it was just a pipe. "Stay close," He whispered to Kuma, getting no response except for the persistent beeping behind him.

He sidled up to the wall, waiting for the guards to come around the corner. When they did, he whacked one over the head and used the unconscious body as a shield, tossing it into the other guard. As they fell to the floor, Sabo and Kuma stepped over them as they moved swiftly through the house and towards where Sabo guessed a back door would be. He made a couple turns, knocking out a few more guards; no surprise that Kuma wasn't helping at all. The big framed man simply pausing a few feet away until Sabo finished fighting to return to him. Sabo hated that it felt like Kuma was acting like some sort of horse. Waiting for his master to finish a task before sidling up to him to be used as a form of transportation.

"You know," Sabo dodged a swing from a guard before kicking him away. "You could help me fight them off. This is your chance at getting back at these bastards!"

Kuma was still so silent until he lifted a hand, aimed it at two guards that were trying to block off the back door, and fired a laser beam. Sabo's mouth hung open in awe. Kuma's hand dropped back down to his side and he stepped closer to Sabo, the beeping sounds ever present.

Sabo's mouth opened and closed as he fished for something to say. "That was... something.." He then got a thought. "Oh, uh, once we're out of here," He began as they exited through the back door. "I could take you to meet Franky. He's a, uh, cyborg-human, too." He forced a smile, but deep down, he was furious towards the man that turned such a gentle giant into an emotionless husk. Emotionless _robot_ husk.

"Franky..." Kuma said slowly, as if feeling the name on his tongue for the first time. Or was he trying to remember? Sabo lifted a brow. He didn't remember Kuma ever meeting Franky, but that was a story he could pull out of him later.

"Come on, Morley should be here to get us soon." Sabo turned to Kuma, grinning. "You'll soon be free! You have nothing to worry about."

"I don't think he's the one who should be worried."

Sabo and Kuma paused halfway through the giant backyard. Sabo recognized that voice from the videos his teammates sent him during an investigation about a man who could turn things to gold. He turned around slowly, his grip on his pipe tightening as he met the eyes of the last person he wanted to encounter here.

Rob Lucci.

* * *

The man stood atop the roof of the mansion, glaring down at the two below in all his white suited, weird goatee'd, pigeon whispering glory.

Sabo reaaaaaally didn't want to fight him. Not now anyway. All he was tasked to do was get Kuma out of that dungeon. Not to screw around and spar with a man who's literal epithet is "The Slaughterer". Plus, he could turn into a giant cat. And in case you didn't know, cats are assholes most of the time. Especially this one.

"Kuma, go on ahead to the rendezvous. I've got to slow this guy down until Morley gets here." Sabo angled himself between Kuma and Lucci, pulling out his communicator again. "Morley, we really need you right now." He hopped away from a powerful Rankyaku, a kick that released a slicing wind that nicked Sabo's pant leg.

Kuma didn't move, his gaze pointed upward to stare at Lucci. Sabo arched a brow in confusion. "What are you doing? Get going already!"

Lucci snorted, voice appearing closer now that he was on ground level with them. "He knows his place is here."

Sabo gritted his teeth. "No," He smacked Kuma's arm which finally got a reaction out of him. The bear man's head turning slowly to look down at him. "You belong with the Revolutionary. With us."

Kuma's mouth was cracked open a bit. He then tilted his head down and started to turn around. Sabo watched him take a few steps away from the house, the beeping getting quieter, before looking back at Lucci, who's brows were more knitted together. They stood at a standoff-ish manner. Both men glaring at each other, seeming to wait for the other to make the first move. Sabo didn't have to wait long, Lucci's form flitted out of sight before reappearing again right in front of him. He threw a punch, Sabo barely managing to counter it with a swing from his pipe. Lucci continued to throw kicks and punches. Sabo feeling his arm muscles burn as he tried to keep up and block each move. He gritted his teeth. He couldn't even get half a hit in before having to block again. A kick went over his head, knocking the hat clean off.

Lucci leaped back, much to Sabo's relief. He panted as Lucci seemed to fully recognize who he was. "Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army. Second in command to Monkey D. Dragon. Sabo."

"Yeah. Pretty hefty title, huh?" Sabo joked, catching his breath.

"Might need a bigger headstone to fit that lengthy description," Another voice sounded behind Sabo and he turned around only to feel the force of a shoe stomp against his chest. He hit the ground but easily flipped himself back to his feet. He put a hand to his chest, already feeling the bruise. The man who had kicked him was a thin, but rather tall man. A squared, long nose on his face. Wide eyes that seemed to stare right into him.

_Kaku._

"I can deal with him on my own," Lucci said, his frown slightly deepened.

"Of course," Kaku smiled. "I just wanted to surprise him, is all. Besides," He then shifted his eyes to Kuma's retreating form. "I've got to go lasso that one in."

"I don't think so!" Sabo angled his fingers into a claw like formation and gouged into the ground beneath him. The ground seemed to split, forming cracks like a broken mirror. Kaku leaped back as the ground crumbled under him, beginning to sky walk. Lucci did the same, looking less and less amused. Sabo finished his attack and straightened up. _Good,_ he thought, _keep them away from Kuma. At least until Morley arrives._

"Golly," Kaku said in his 1920s accent. "That's gonna be quite the rude awakening." And then, as if on cue, the lights inside the mansion began to turn on one by one.

"What in all hell is-" Rosward was left gaping at the destruction to his backyard. He then noticed Sabo standing in the middle of the spider web of tossed up soil. "You! You're that guard!" He pointed a finger at Sabo.

Lucci and Kaku turned to face the Celestial Dragon. Lucci's eyes had narrowed when Rosward mentioned Sabo as a 'guard'. "Do not worry, my lord," He spoke in a light tone. "We will deal with him immediately."

Rosward _hmphed._ "Well, do it quickly. If me and my children don't get enough sleep, you'll never hear the end of it!" He slammed the window shut and whipped around, disappearing from sight.

Lucci turned back around and Sabo could feel the heavy force of the man's haki. "You dared to approach the Celestial Beings in their own home? Going so far to try and steal what's theirs?"

Sabo clenched the pipe tighter. "He's not theirs and never will be."

"Kaku."

"Roger." Kaku used _soru,_ shooting off after Kuma.

Sabo hopped into the air to intercept him, but Lucci appeared next to him, swinging a fist again. Sabo barely managed to dodge it, retaliating by swinging his pipe which was coated with a layer of armament haki. Lucci vanished and Sabo landed back down to the ground. Behind him, where Kuma was, the ground seemed to sway like powerful ocean waves. Sabo knew what that meant. Lucci reappeared again, a finger extended to stab into Sabo like a bullet. Sabo ducked down and dived towards the rumbling ground just as Morley appeared. Kaku swiped at the oddly dressed man with his two blades, but ended up having to jump around like a buzzing mosquito to escape Morley's grasp. 

"Come here, naughty boy," Morley drawled. "I need to teach you a lesson."

"Gee," Kaku backed off, flying at a distance Morley wouldn't be able to reach. "This one's giving me the heebie-jeebies." 

"Morley!" Sabo shouted over trying not to get his head lopped off by _rankyaku_ kicks. "Take Kuma and get out of here!"

"Aw, but I don't wanna leave you here!"

"I'll be right behind you!" Sabo took a chance to look back and spotted Kuma. The man had turned to face him, a hand lifted to shoot off another one of those laser beams. But Sabo shook his head. "Just go-!"

A strong kick sent him spiraling into the mansion's walls. He coughed, feeling the wetness of blood spot his lips. That one was definitely going to hurt in the morning. He staggered to his feet, only to feel fingers wrap tightly around his throat, closing his airway as he was pressed against the wall. He choked, trying to swing his pipe at whoever had him trapped. He swung the pipe down and it met a sudden stop as something grabbed onto it. The dust cleared and he stared into the dark eyes of Lucci, who stared back before a smirk started to crawl upon his features.

"Finally caught you," He said.

Sabo couldn't help but make a snide comment. "Finally? Were you chasing after me all this time? You're making me blush."

Lucci's hold became tighter and Sabo's vision began to get fuzzy. Black spots dotted his sight as he struggled for breath. Sabo tried to kick out, his hands trying to pry Lucci's fingers, but that only made the hold tighter. Sabo peered around Lucci, noticing that Morley had Kuma in an embrace as they sank into the stone floors. Kaku tried to go after them, but the ground turned back to normal right as he reached it. He stood there above where they had gone before turning back. Sabo returned his hazy gaze back to Lucci. 

The man had a frown upon his face but his voice was light. "Don't think they'll escape so easily. And now that we've caught the Revolutionary's Second in Command.." He trailed off, watching Sabo as the blonde began to lose consciousness. His voice sounded far away. "I'm sure you're just _dying_ to experience the same life as your friend once did."

Sabo wished he had more air to make another snarky comment, but he felt his body go limp. He couldn't formulate any thoughts anyway, his head felt blank. All he could see before he succumbed to the darkness was the sharp eyes of the man in front of him, glinting like that of a hungry cat's.


End file.
